A Qantas flight bound for New Caledonia came to an abrupt halt on the tarmac at Sydney International Airport yesterday after air traffic control reportedly alerted crew to smoke and flames from an engine.
Channel 9 reported flight QF91 to Noumea was preparing for takeoff at 7.40am when the incident occurred.
Channel 7 ran an alarming headline on its website: Emergency at Sydney Airport after Qantas flight goes up in flames.
This seems to have overstated the case, though some news outlets said passengers had seen flames from the engine. Channel 9 screened footage of a Qantas plane taxiing along the tarmac while being closely followed by three yellow fire trucks marked FIRE RESCUE. The channel reported that the pilot had requested assistance from aviation fire and rescue crews.
“The pilots followed procedure and shut down the engine as a precaution after being alerted by the control tower while taxiing,” a Qantas spokesperson told Channel 9.
“There was no warning light in the cockpit and no sign of fire when the engine was shut down.
“Engineers have inspected the aircraft and cleared it to return to service.
“Passengers were re-accommodated on another flight this morning.”
The latest problem to affect Qantas comes after the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) confirmed it is investigating “a low fuel event” involving a Qantas flight from Brisbane to Perth last month.
During descent on 18 July 2022, the crew of the Perth-bound Qantas Boeing 737-838 “declared an emergency due to the amount of fuel onboard and proceeded to land at Perth,” the ATSB reported.
“The aircraft landed with reserves intact.”
On the ground, meanwhile, Dnata ground crew within Qantas’ supply chain are to vote on whether they have the right to take industrial action after the Fair Work Commission approved on Friday a TWU application to hold a protected action ballot.
Dnata ground crew have been fighting attempts by Qantas management to push through an agreement the union says cuts the pay of experienced workers and pushes workers into below the legal award conditions.
“The company has so far denied workers’ attempts to increase part-time hours or invest in permanent positions to ease pressure on the chronically over-worked crews,” a TWU statement said.
“Without an offering that locks in basic rights and secure jobs to encourage experienced workers to return to the industry, ground crew are warning that the chaos seen at airports in recent months will only worsen.”
Written by Peter Needham
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