A day after a Qantas flight was diverted after flames sparked from its engine, there are serious concerns over a shortage of air traffic controllers.
7NEWS understands Air Services Australia declared what is known as TIBA airspace for two separate 45-minute periods. The first was from 5pm (AEST) Sunday, with a second to follow from 7.45pm.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Qantas engine fire forces emergency landing
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TIBA stands for traffic information broadcasts by aircraft. In simple terms, it means pilots flying through the affected airspace must broadcast their positions directly to one another because normal air traffic control services are limited.
That will restrict flights travelling between Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra with some Brisbane flights also affected.
Airlines are now preparing new flight plans. Some aircraft may be diverted around the affected airspace, adding time and fuel, while others could be delayed until those restrictions are lifted. 7NEWS understands at least one airline has refused to fly through the TIBA area, believing it to be too dangerous.
The measure hasn’t been used in metro areas for a number of years.
Meanwhile, a replacement plane landed back in Sydney on Sunday afternoon with those on board revealing how Saturday’s drama unfolded over New Zealand.
The mid-air scare forced the Qantas flight from Queenstown to be diverted to Christchurch, arriving back in Sydney 24 hours later.
“It was like ‘bang bang’, it was like five times, everyone was just shaking, it was so traumatising and scary,” passenger Kriti Sethi said.
It happened just 10 minutes after QF122 took off on Saturday afternoon.
“There were just all these noises and red lights in the cabin and everyone was screaming, some people were screaming like ‘land the plane’,” one passenger said.
The blasts were so loud they were even heard from the ground.
“I felt like the floor was going to give way,” another passenger said.
Passenger Sari-Elle Kraemer said crew initially told them it was landing gear.
“But because we were sitting at the back we could see the fire coming out of the engine, so we told the cabin crew ,‘no it’s not a landing gear’,” she said.
The captain then told passengers it was an issue with the engine.
The pilot was still able to use both engines for the landing, but emergency services weren’t taking any chances.
Experts believe it could have been a compressor stall, which has several causes.
A crew of engineers has been flown over from Australia to determine exactly what happened.
