Liza-Jayne Loch was returning home from a business trip to New Zealand when her Qantas flight encountered a serious problem. The plane was ascending over the scenic mountain ranges of New Zealand’s South Island on Saturday afternoon, en route to Sydney, when a loud noise shook the cabin. A passenger seated near the left wing shouted, "the engine's on fire," Loch recalled, as the cabin lights began to flicker. Passenger footage shared with the Australian Associated Press (AAP) shows flames appearing to burst from the plane’s left engine in quick succession. "I was sitting on the left-hand side of the plane, and the flames were very, very visible," Loch said. "There was a lot of screaming at the time." As the plane continued to climb, Loch tried to stay calm by recalling that modern jets can land safely on a single engine. "That's what I kept in my head, that we could actually fly on one engine," she said. "But the flames kept coming and the noise kept coming." The flight, Qantas flight QF122, experienced a suspected engine issue shortly after departing from Queenstown on Saturday afternoon. The plane made a priority landing at Christchurch, landing about 52 minutes after takeoff, shortly before 5pm local time. Qantas sent two engineers to Christchurch on Sunday to investigate the incident. Both engines are believed to have continued operating throughout the flight. Conditions stabilized after the initial shock, with cabin staff working to comfort the passengers. "The crew were all terribly, terribly calming," Loch said. Emergency services were waiting on the tarmac when the flight landed, and passengers were allowed to disembark after a short wait. "There were massive cheers when we landed," Loch said. A Qantas spokesperson confirmed the plane likely suffered an engine issue and said steps would be taken to support affected customers. "Our pilots are highly trained to manage situations like this and the aircraft landed safely," they said. "We know this would have been a distressing experience for passengers and will be contacting all customers to provide support." Affected passengers were accommodated in a hotel near Christchurch International Airport before being booked on a complimentary flight to Sydney on Sunday. While the second flight proceeded without any issues, Loch said nerves were still high. "I cried getting off the plane when we landed in Sydney," Loch said. "It was quite traumatic." The cause of the incident has yet to be determined, but Qantas is working to investigate and support those affected by the event.