Perth-Bound Qantas Flight Diverted back to Geraldton after Engine Faulty

The Fokker 100 aircraft left Geraldton at 9am but turned back a short time later, circling north-east of the city's airport for a short time before landing without incident. ABC reported.

Speaking after disembarking at Geraldton Airport, passenger Loic Frison said the issues became apparent around 45 minutes into the flight.

The captain took the mic and said, 'There is a vibration on the left side of the plane, so stay calm and we go back to Geraldton to do an emergency landing,'" he said.

"It dropped altitude and we could see through the window that it was very near the ground, so it was a bit stressful.

"It was really strange. Everyone was calm. Nobody was speaking. Pretty calm but really anxious."

In a statement, a Qantas spokesperson said the aircraft suffered a minor technical issue, and apologised for inconvenience to the passengers.

They said the plane followed protocol and requested a priority landing.

"Our pilots followed normal procedure and the aircraft landed safely," the spokesperson said.

They said the aircraft would be examined before it returned to service, and all passengers would be placed on alternate flights today.