A passenger on the 3.30 flight 818 said the pilot announced about 15 minutes out of Canberra that the plane would land on only one engine, as the other had been shut down, and that landing would take slightly longer than usual.

The passenger, who wished to remain nameless, said the pilot had assured passengers that the landing would be perfectly safe, and that the crew had remained calm as the plane began its descent.

He said the plane had been due to land at 4.30, but touched down shortly before 5pm to applause from the passengers.

A Qantas spokesman confirmed yesterday that the aircraft's No2 engine had inexplicably shut down mid-flight, but as the plane was more than halfway into its journey, the pilot made the decision to continue to the flight's destination, and sought clearance from the ground to land.

He said the flight was met on the tarmac by fire crews and police, as was the usual procedure.

The aircraft has been taken out of service while Qantas engineers determine what went wrong with the engine.