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Two planes narrowly avoid collision on Sydney Airport tarmac
🇴🇲 Oman /Energy & Infrastructure

Two planes narrowly avoid collision on Sydney Airport tarmac

From Times of Oman · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Under investigation
  • Two passenger planes, a Jetstar and a Qatar Airways aircraft, narrowly avoided a collision on the tarmac at Sydney Airport on Sunday.
  • A Jetstar cabin crew member was injured and a tug connection was damaged during the incident, which is now under investigation.
  • The near-miss caused flight delays and occurred a day after widespread disruptions due to air traffic controller staffing issues.

A Jetstar and a Qatar Airways plane came perilously close to colliding on the tarmac at Sydney Airport on Sunday, prompting an investigation by Australian transport safety regulators. The incident occurred as the Jetstar A320 was preparing for takeoff and its crew spotted the Qatar Airways Boeing 777 being towed by a tug on a crossing taxiway.

Both aircraft braked abruptly to avoid a collision. The sudden stop caused a Jetstar cabin crew member to be injured while moving through the cabin. Additionally, the connection between the Boeing 777's nose gear and the aircraft tug sustained damage.

Both aircraft were stopped abruptly

— Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB)Describing the immediate actions taken by both aircraft to avoid a collision.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is leading the investigation, collecting data from the aircraft, air traffic control, and interviewing relevant personnel. The ATSB has also appealed to airport witnesses for any visual evidence of the near-miss.

Jetstar confirmed its aircraft was following air traffic control instructions when the pilots had to brake suddenly. Qatar Airways has not yet issued a statement. The incident led to flight delays at Sydney Airport, compounding disruptions from the previous day, which were caused by air traffic controller roster issues.

Our aircraft was following ⁠instructions ​by Air Traffic Control when the ​pilots were forced to brake firmly after another aircraft came in ​close proximity

— Jetstar spokespersonExplaining Jetstar's account of the events leading up to the near-miss.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Times of Oman in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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