A United Airlines aircraft landed safely at Sydney airport after issuing a mayday call due to low fuel reserves.
The Boeing 787-900 Dreamliner, carrying 194 passengers, had been on a 15-hour flight to the Australian city from Los Angeles.
Police said they activated a “full emergency response” shortly before the jet landed at 6.36am local time on Thursday, the BBC reported.
United Airlines called it a mechanical issue and said all on board were safe.
“The aircraft taxied to the gate and all customers disembarked normally,” the airline said.
The pilot of the Dreamliner had earlier issued a mayday call due to low fuel levels, according to Airservices Australia, the nation’s aviation navigation authority.
New South Wales police said the incident forced the brief closure of Australia’s busiest airport and surrounding roads.
“Fuel mayday” calls are an automatic requirement when aircraft tap into reserve supplies of fuel, according to Civil Aviation Safety Australia,
Strong headwinds, weather conditions and changes in route and altitude are all factors that could eat into fuel levels, said spokesman Peter Gibson.
The aircraft would have had at least 45 minutes of flying time in its reserves, he said.