Qantas says a fire alert that triggered the pilot of a flight from Sydney to make a mayday call before landing safely at Auckland airport was likely a false alarm.

The pilot of the Boeing 737 made a mayday call and requested an emergency landing after receiving intermittent indications about a potential fire in the cargo hold, the airline said in a statement.

"During a flight this morning between Sydney to Auckland the pilots were receiving intermittent indication about potential fire in the cargo hold," it said.

"The pilots followed standard procedures and notified authorities through a mayday call.

"Preliminary investigations report that there was no fire in the front cargo hold. Our engineers will inspect the aircraft to determine the cause."

Emergency services rushed to Auckland A

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