25 Jan 2011

Qantas planes loses pressure mid-flight

3:27 pm on 25 January 2011

Qantas is investigating what caused a plane travelling from Adelaide to Melbourne on Tuesday morning to lose pressure mid-flight.

The Boeing 737 was carrying 99 passengers and landed safely at Melbourne airport just before 8am local time.

Passengers on board flight QF670 say a sudden drop sparked panic before pilots requested a "rapid descent", the ABC reports.

Qantas says the landing was routine and no one needed medical assistance.

A spokeswoman says the airline is awaiting confirmation that the scare was caused by the plane's air conditioning system.