Passenger Plane Lands in New Zealand after Fire Shuts Down an Engine

Engineers work on the Royal New Zealand Air Force plane that carried New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon into Papua New Guinea, at the Port Moresby International Airport in Port Moresby on June 17, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

A passenger plane landed safely at a New Zealand airport on Monday after a fire shut down one of its engines, the nation’s fire service said.

The Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 jet bound for Melbourne, Australia, landed in the New Zealand city of Invercargill after the fire forced a diversion.

Fire trucks met the plane as it arrived in Invercargill about 50 minutes after takeoff from Queenstown, said Lynn Crosson, shift supervisor for Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

The cause of the engine fire was not immediately known, Queenstown Airport spokesperson Catherine Nind said.

Virgin Australia said in an emailed statement that the incident may have been caused by “a possible bird strike.”

Queenstown, with a population of 53,000, is popular tourist destination on New Zealand's South Island, famous for skiing, adventure tourism and alpine vistas.