A grass fire near Sydney Airport’s runway caused numerous delays and cancellations on Friday.
The incident occurred shortly after a Qantas plane made an emergency landing after experiencing a mechanical issue.
According to the passengers, they heard a loud bang as the plane was flying. The aircraft circled back to Sydney Airport and made a safe landing.
A total of 10 flights were canceled due to the incident. Some of these included a Jetstar flight from Adelaide and Qantas flights to Port Macquarie and Dubbo.
There were no reported injuries. Several fire trucks and police cars responded to the airport. Both Fire and Rescue NSW and aviation Rescue responded to extinguish the fire near the third runway.
Richard Tobiano, the chief pilot of Qantas, said that the plane’s engine had failed.
According to Mr. Tobiano, one of the plane’s engines had failed after it took off from Sydney Airport. The aircraft circled the airport before making a safe landing. He noted that the pilots followed proper procedures.
Following the incident, Qantas will be providing its customers with support. The airline also said it would investigate the cause of the issue.
Mr. Tobiano noted that there was no explosion and that the loud bang that some passengers said they heard was an engine failure.
An initial inspection by Qantas engineers revealed that the aircraft’s engine had suffered a contained engine failure. Although some passengers reportedly heard a loud bang, the emergency landing was not caused by an explosion.
A spokesperson for the airport noted that the fire, which broke out on the eastern part of the airport’s parallel runway, was quickly put out by emergency responders. It’s not clear if the two incidents were linked.
Following the emergency landing of the plane, Sydney Airport instructed its engineers to thoroughly inspect the airport’s parallel runways. While the main runway was operational, the passengers should expect delays.
The airport also urged the passengers to check with their airlines to see if their flight is affected by the incident. A safety official commended the pilots for their quick response. Steve Cornell, the head of the safety division of the pilots union, praised the members of Qantas for their actions.
Captain Cornell noted that the pilots of Qantas are highly trained to deal with engine issues. In this instance, they demonstrated exceptional expertise and composure in returning to Sydney and ensuring the safety of the passengers.
The entire organization places the utmost importance on the well-being of its crew, passengers, and cargo. The incident highlighted the value of having experienced and well-rested pilots on board.