A flight attendant was injured early on Sunday morning at Sydney International Airport (SYD) after the pilots of a Jetstar plane taxiing for departure were forced to slam on the brakes to avoid colliding with a Qatar Airways Boeing 777, which was under tug to a remote parking position.
Jetstar flight JQ-402, operated by a narrowbody Airbus A320, was taxiing to the departure runway at around 7 am on August 9 when the pilots noticed the much larger Qatar Airways Boeing 777 suddenly appearing to their right-hand side.
The Jetstar pilots and the tug driver of the Qatar Airways plane both slammed on their brakes, and there was no contact between the two planes. A flight attendant on the Jetstar plane was, however, sent flying by the sudden braking, and paramedics had to be called to assist.
Thankfully, no other passengers or crew were injured, although the connection between the nose gear of the Boeing 777 and the aircraft tug was damaged, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).
In a statement, the ATSB said it had opened an investigation into the incident and will be downloading data from both aircraft, as well as collecting information from air traffic control.
Local media have raised concerns that staffing woes that have affected air traffic control at Sydney Airport for several days could be, at least partially, responsible for the Sunday morning accident. At the time of the incident, flow restrictions were in place due to staffing shortages.
A spokesperson for Jetstar noted: “Our aircraft was following instructions by Air Traffic Control when the pilots were forced to brake firmly after another aircraft came in close proximity.”
In the aftermath of the incident, further restrictions were put in place at Sydney Airport. Airservices Australia, which runs air traffic control, said it was “working with airlines to reduce delays and the impact on passenger travel as much as possible.”
