A grass fire has caused chaos near a runway at Sydney Airport, as a Qantas flight bound for Brisbane was forced to make an emergency landing due to suspected engine failure.
The fire was sparked on Friday afternoon, Fire and Rescue NSW said, but has since been contained.
Superintendent Adam Dewberry from Fire and Rescue NSW described the fire as “pretty large”, and added crews will remain on scene to achieve “complete extinguishment”.
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Meanwhile, a Qantas flight, carrying 181 passengers, bound for Brisbane experienced suspected engine failure after take-off from Sydney Airport on Friday afternoon, Qantas said.
“After circling for a short period of time, the aircraft landed safely at Sydney Airport,” Qantas chief pilot Captain Richard Tobiano said.
“Our pilots are highly trained to handle situations like this and the aircraft landed safely after the appropriate procedures were conducted.
“We understand this would have been a distressing experience for customers and we will be contacting all customers this afternoon to provide support.
“We will also be conducting an investigation into what caused the engine issue.”
A FlightAware map shows a Qantas flight bound for Brisbane had circled in the air a number of times before it turned around and returned to Sydney Airport about 1.10pm.
“Earlier today, a Brisbane bound flight made an emergency-return to Sydney Airport, landing safely just after 1pm,” a Sydney Airport spokesperson confirmed.
“This departure of aircraft coincided with a grass fire along the eastern side of the airport’s parallel runway, which was brought under control by teams from the Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Service.
“It’s not clear at this stage if the two incidents are linked and investigations are continuing.”
The spokesperson said the airport’s priority was to “conduct a full inspection of its parallel runway and to return it to service as quickly as possible”.
“Sydney Airport’s main runway is operational, however, passengers should also expect some delays and we thank everyone for their patience,” they said.
“Passengers who are travelling today are also encouraged to check with their airline regarding the status of their flight, or via the online flight information boards on Sydney Airport’s website.”
It is not yet known what sparked the blaze and what impact it will have on flights through the afternoon.
Images posted to social media from the ground show huge plumes of smoke blowing over the runways.
No serious injuries have been reported, NSW Police said.
It comes as Sydney Airport, among other international airports across the country, faced a national tech outage on Friday morning.
More to come …