In Australia a Qantas plane had to return to the Sydney airport because of a landing gear malfunction.

Shanghai-bound flight QF129 took off at 11:30am local time Thursday, but the pilot was unable to fully retract the landing gear.

So the plane was left flying above Sydney for four hours until it used enough fuel so it was light enough to safely land.

The airline says the move was necessary for passenger safety.

"At no stage was a formal emergency declared because it was not believed that there was an emergency situation or a serious risk to safety."

After the mishap, passengers were transferred to another plane that took them to Shanghai.

The incident took place on the same day when Qantas had announced a large drop in profit and a rise in ticket prices.