Emergency landing and fire at Sydney Airport

A Qantas plane was forced to make an emergency landing Friday at Sydney Airport, after initially heading for Brisbane.

Qantas flight QF520 took of at around 1pm, however it was redirected back to Sydney after a loud bang was heard on take off.

The emergency landing coincided with a grass fire along the eastern side of the Airport’s runway. A total of 174 people were onboard the flight. No injuries have been reported. 

Qantas chief pilot Captain Richard Tobiano said the aircraft had “suspected” engine failure.

“One of our flights to Brisbane experienced a suspected engine failure after takeoff from Sydney Airport this afternoon. After circling for a short period of time, the aircraft landed safely at Sydney Airport.

“Our pilots are highly trained to handle situations like this and the aircraft landed safely after the appropriate procedures were conducted.

“We understand this would have been a distressing experience for customers and we will be contacting all customers this afternoon to provide support.

We will also be conducting an investigation into what caused the engine issue.”

Initially, Sydney Airport posted an update saying they are still investigating whether the fire and the plane’s emergency landing are related.

“Earlier today a Brisbane bound flight made an emergency return to Sydney Airport, landing safely just after 1pm. The departure of [the] aircraft coincided with a grass fire along the eastern side of the airport’s parallel runway, which was brought under control byteams from the Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Service. It’s not clear at this stage if the two incidents are linked and investigations are continuing.

“With the safe arrival of that aircraft, Sydney Airport’s priority is to conduct a full inspection of its parallel runway and to return it to service as quickly as possible. Sydney Airport’s main runway is operational, however, passengers should also expect some delays and we thank everyone for their patience.

“Passengers who are travelling today are also encouraged to check with their airline regarding the status of their flight”.

 

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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