‘Near collision’ at Sydney Airport triggers investigation

Safety regulators initiated an investigation on Sunday into a near collision between two passenger aircraft at Sydney Airport, which left a Jetstar crew member injured. The incident, which occurred on Sunday morning, involved a Jetstar Airbus A320 taxiing for a flight to the Gold Coast when its crew observed a Qatar Airways Boeing 777, under tow, on a nearby taxiway.

The Jetstar A320 was forced to apply sudden brakes to avoid a crash, causing damage to the connection between the 777's nose gear and the aircraft tug. Both planes abruptly stopped, leading to an investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) into the cause of the near collision. The regulator is gathering data from both aircraft, air traffic control, and interviewing crew members and tug operators.

Witnesses are urged to provide any video footage of the incident. Flights at Sydney Airport have been experiencing delays following the incident, according to Airservices Australia. The Jetstar spokeswoman stated that the pilots were following Air Traffic Control instructions when the sudden braking occurred. A Jetstar crew member was injured while moving through the cabin, receiving paramedic treatment.

Qatar Airways has yet to comment on the matter. Early reports suggest the tug pulling the Qatar plane did not adhere to air traffic control instructions.