A regional Qantas flight bound for Melbourne has been forced to make a priority landing.

Flight QF 2079 left Mildura Airport, in Victoria’s northwest near the NSW border, about 10.40am on Tuesday.

According to flight tracking data, the plane began flying in circles not long after take-off and was forced to land back at Mildura Airport not long after.

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Multiple emergency services agencies were waiting at the airport for the plane upon landing.

A Qantas spokesperson said the aircraft was forced to land due to a “technical issue”.

“Our pilots are highly trained to handle situations like this, and the flight has since landed safely in Mildura,” they said.

“We appreciate this would have been an unsettling experience for customers and thank them for their understanding.”

Neither the passengers nor the pilot were injured.

Qantas engineers will inspect the aircraft before it returns to service.

It’s understood the passengers will be leaving Mildura on the next available flight at 5pm on Tuesday.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has been made aware of the incident.

It is not yet clear if they will conduct an investigation.