Australia: 2 Planes Almost Collide on Sydney Airport Tarmac
A flight crew member was injured in a runway near-miss at Sydney Airport. An investigation is underway to determine the cause.
A Jetstar A320 and a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 narrowly escaped a potentially catastrophic collision on the tarmac at Sydney Airport on Sunday, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. The Jetstar plane was taxiing for takeoff to Queensland's Gold Coast when its crew noticed the Qatar Airways aircraft, which was being towed, very close on a crossing taxiway. Both aircraft came to a sudden halt.
The Jetstar flight attendant suffered an injury, and the nose gear of the Qatar Airways plane, connected to an aircraft tug, sustained damage. Jetstar, a budget airline owned by Australia's national carrier Qantas, has launched its own investigation. A Jetstar spokesperson stated that their crew was following air traffic control instructions when they had to brake forcefully due to another aircraft's proximity. Qatar Airways has yet to comment on the matter.
In response to the near-miss, Airservices Australia, the agency overseeing air traffic in Australia, implemented "departure spacing" at the airport to manage projected airborne and ground operations safely. The cause of the incident is under review, and Airservices Australia has declined to comment further. The near-miss occurred just a day after the airport faced significant delays due to the same strategy being employed by Airservices Australia, attributed to "roster constraints" with air traffic controllers.
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