A United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Australia due to low fuel reserves.
The pilot of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner made a mayday call to Sydney airport during a flight from Los Angeles, according to Airservices Australia, the country’s air navigation authority.
Police said they activated a ‘full emergency response’ shortly before flight UA838, carrying 194 people, landed safely at 06:36 local time on Thursday. The incident forced a brief closure of Sydney airport and its surrounding roads.
United described the incident as a mechanical issue. "The aircraft taxied to the gate and all customers disembarked normally," it said in a statement.
Fuel mayday calls are an automatic requirement when aircraft tap into fuel supplies, according to Civil Aviation Safety Australia, which could be caused by stronger than expected headwinds, changes in weather conditions or changes in route and altitude.
The aircaft would have had at least 45 minutes of flying time in its reserves, it said.
