Emergency crews are responding to a grass fire at Sydney Airport after an explosion of a Qantas plane’s engine during take-off, as travellers are warned of flight delays.
Emergency crews have rushed to Sydney Airport in response to a grass fire after an engine of a Qantas flight exploded during take-off on Friday afternoon.
Fire and Rescue NSW confirmed crews were assisting Aviation Rescue to put out the blaze which “ignited next to the third runway”.
The grass fire was reportedly triggered by the engine mishap, which forced the Brisbane-bound plane to make an emergency landing back in Sydney.
The grass fire ignited next to the third runway at Sydney Airport. Picture: Nine
Aerial footage of the airport showed smoke billowing into the sky on Friday afternoon, as well as multiple emergency service vehicles on the ground.
Passengers onboard the flight shared videos on social media of the plane landing back at the airport after hovering for several minutes, with clouds of smoke seen in the air.
Sydney Airport confirmed the fire has since been brought under control, but warned travellers may experience some flight delays as an inspection is carried out on the parallel runway.
Multiple emergency crews responded to the scene. Picture: Nine
The plane landed back safely at Sydney Airport after making an emergency landing. Picture: X
The Boeing 737, with 174 passengers onboard, is understood to have taken off from Sydney about 12.35pm.
Flight QF520 circled over the water for at least 15 minutes, according to Flight Aware, before landing back at the airport about 1.06pm.
A Sydney Airport spokesperson said the plane arrived back safely at the airport after making an emergency landing.
They said it is not clear at this stage whether the grass fire is linked to the explosion of the aircraft’s engine as investigations are ongoing.
“Earlier today a Brisbane bound flight made an emergency-return to Sydney Airport, landing safely just after 1pm,” a spokesperson said.
“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.”
Sydney Airport said while the main runway remains operational, travellers can expect flight delays on Friday afternoon.
“With the safe arrival of the aircraft, Sydney Airport’s priority is to conduct a full inspection of its parallel runway and to return it to service as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson said.
“Sydney Airport’s main runway is operational, however, passengers should also expect some delays and we thank everyone for their patience.
“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.”
Qantas Chief Pilot Captain Richard Tobiano said the plane experienced a “suspected engine failure” after it took off from the domestic airport.
He said the national carrier will be conducting an investigation into what caused the engine issue.
“After circling for a short period of time, the aircraft landed safely at Sydney Airport,” Mr Tobiano said in a statement.
“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.”
It’s understood passengers who were onboard the impacted flight are being moved onto other services on Friday afternoon.
