Dunedin woman Hannah Hendry and her friends were on a girls’ weekend in Queenstown when they heard about eight “big bangs”.
“We all ran outside and saw flames coming out of the plane. It was quite scary. I thought it was going to go up in flames.”
Photo / Supplied
Onlookers were shocked and concerned at what they were seeing, with some fearing the plane would crash.
Staff at Christchurch International Airport were understood to be on standby ahead of the arrival of the diverted flight.
The airport has been contacted for comment.
Image / Flightradar24
The aircraft was the most tracked on Flightradar24 at one stage, with more than 5000 people following its progress before it landed.
The aircraft landed safely at Christchurch Airport around 5pm. Photo / Anna Heath
More to come …