Jetstar, Qatar Air near miss at Sydney airport triggers safety probe

Two aircraft, a Jetstar and a Qatar Airways jet, narrowly avoided colliding on the tarmac at Sydney airport on Sunday. The incident, which has sparked a safety probe, marks the second such near miss at the airport in just two weeks.

The Jetstar Airbus SE A320 was taxiing for a flight to the Gold Coast when the crew spotted the nearby Qatar Airways Boeing 777, which was being towed by a tug. The two aircraft came within meters of colliding, according to footage shown on local media.

Air traffic control instructed the Jetstar plane to follow its designated path. However, when a second aircraft entered the close vicinity, the Jetstar pilots had to apply firm braking to avoid a collision.

As a result, a Jetstar cabin crew member sustained injuries and there was damage to the connection between the Qatar jet's nose gear and the tug vehicle. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating the incident, as well as a similar one involving two Qantas Airways planes at Sydney Airport the previous month.

The ATSB described the Qantas incident as a breakdown of coordination. Both the Jetstar and Qatar Airways planes will undergo examination by safety investigators, who will gather information from the flight crews, tug operators, and air traffic controllers, as well as from the aircraft and air traffic control systems.

Jetstar, which is owned by Qantas, is conducting its own inquiry into the incident. The airline stated that its plane was following air traffic control instructions when the collision was narrowly avoided. Australia's air traffic manager, Airservices Australia, is reviewing the incident and is assisting with the safety investigation.

Airservices Australia implemented measures such as departure spacing at the airport to "safely manage projected airborne and departure demands" following the near miss. Qatar Airways did not respond to a request for comment.