Passengers on an Air New Zealand flight from Christchurch to Sydney were told to prepare for an emergency landing this morning.

The Daily Mail reports flight NZ221 was met by emergency services on the ground after experiencing a hydraulic failure mid-flight.

Those on board said they were informed of the issue about 20 minutes before the aircraft was expected to land in Sydney.

“No one on board was really stressed – everyone stayed pretty calm. I was just glad it happened close to landing and not earlier in the flight.”

The traveller described the landing as “smooth”, with the flight arriving just before 9am.

Another passenger said they sat on the plane for an hour after touchdown, finally disembarking the aircraft when it was towed to a gate.

“There were fire trucks and flashing lights everywhere, which was a bit of an experience. It felt a little unsettling, but everyone stayed patient.”

Sydney Airport referred all queries to Air New Zealand, who confirmed to the Herald the flight experienced a technical issue.

“The aircraft landed safely, and our engineering team will now carry out inspections to ensure the aircraft is safe to return to service.”