A Qantas plane has landed safely at Auckland International Airport after issuing a mayday call over the Tasman Sea amid concerns about a potential fire in the cargo hold.

The mayday call triggered a priority landing at Auckland Airport, local media report, with the plane landing safely as emergency responders waited on the tarmac.

New Zealand outlet Stuff reported that the mayday call – used by pilots to indicate grave and imminent danger – was prompted by reports of a fire in the cargo hold of the Boeing 737 aircraft, which had 162 passengers on board.

The pilots received “intermittent indication” of a potential fire one hour before they were due to land in Auckland, triggering the emergency call.

“The pilots followed standard procedures and notified authorities through a mayday c

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