A Qantas flight traveling from New Zealand to Sydney has landed safely on a single engine after it issued a mayday call over the Pacific Ocean.

WELLINGTON – International air travel could come booming back next year but with a new rule: Travelers to certain countries must be vaccinated against the coronavirus before they can fly. But countries in Asia and the Pacific, in particular, are determined not to let their hard-won gains against the virus evaporate. "But certainly for international visitors coming out, and people leaving the country, we think that’s a necessity,” he said. “With the world coming closer to coronavirus vaccines and negative tests also becoming requirements for lifting travelers from self-quarantines in countries across the world, airlines are feeling the need for an effective system to screen passengers for vaccinations and tests,” Chung said. Many people are hoping that vaccinations will become widely available next year, paving the way for a broader reopening of international air travel.

WELLINGTON Qantas plans to cut at least 6,000 jobs and keep 15,000 more workers on extended furloughs as Australia's largest airline tries to survive the coronavirus pandemic. Qantas announced a plan Thursday to reduce costs by billions of dollars and raise fresh capital. The plan includes grounding 100 planes for a year or more and immediately retiring its six remaining Boeing 747 planes. Chief Executive Alan Joyce said the airline has to become smaller as it braces for several years of much lower revenues. This crisis has still hit us very, very hard and the impact will be felt for a long time," Joyce said.

(CNN) - Qantas has vowed to help a member of its cabin staff take legal action against musician Willl.i.am if the Black Eyed Peas front man does not retract his claim that he was a victim of racial discrimination. He said on Twitter that he couldn't hear the PA announcement instructing passengers to put away laptops and other electronics through his noise-canceling headphones. Describing the incident, the musician told his 12.8 million Twitter followers that he was mistreated by a "#RacistFlightattendant" who was "beyond rude." But she has clearly aimed all her frustrations only at the people of color," he wrote after sharing a photo and the full name of the staff member. After initially insisting the row was a misunderstanding and rejecting any allegations of racism, Qantas has gone further and offered legal support to the member of staff involved in the dispute.

Here are some of the things we learned:The future is probably ultra long haulSingapore to New York, Doha to Auckland, Perth to London. This gives airlines much more margin to make money on long flights, where fuel is a higher percentage of cost. And you're going to have to pay more for itShould London to Sydney or London to New York routes get the go-ahead by 2022 or 2023 in line with Qantas's timeline, don't expect to pick up any discounted tickets. If the apparent success of the airline's direct service connecting the west Australia city of Perth to London nonstop is anything to go by, tickets will retail at premium rates. Obviously, for those on board QF7879, there's bragging rights to being on a record-breaking service.

Australian airline Qantas on Thursday launched a one-off research flight that will carry about 50 people from London to Sydney nonstop, clocking up the longest commercial passenger flight in recent aviation history in the process. Australian airline Qantas on Thursday launched a one-off research flight that will carry about 50 people from London to Sydney nonstop, clocking up the longest commercial passenger flight in recent aviation history in the process. It should be a whole lot easier than the last time Qantas attempted the flight in 1989. Back then the airline used a Boeing 747, stripped of most of its internal furnishings and loaded to the brim with special aviation fuel, to make the trip. The modern iteration of the flight should be cause for another celebration when it lands shortly before noon Friday in Sydney.

Qantas confirmed that it had pulled three 737-NG planes from service after they "were found to have a hairline crack." SYDNEY, Australia - The union that represents aircraft maintenance engineers in Australia has urged Qantas to ground its fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft to ensure any structural cracks in the planes are repaired. On Friday, Qantas confirmed that it had pulled three 737 NG planes from service after they "were found to have a hairline crack." The Boeing 737 NG is an older version of the company's 737 MAX aircraft. Snook added that required inspections on all 737 NG aircraft would be completed by Friday.