A Jetstar pilot reported that a Qatar Airways plane and ground crew were not following instructions during a near-miss incident at Sydney Airport on Sunday. The two aircraft came into close proximity around 7 a.m., forcing the Jetstar plane, carrying 180 passengers, to brake suddenly.
Frightening footage from inside the Jetstar aircraft revealed the pilot informing passengers that a cabin crew member had been injured while demonstrating safety procedures. "With the sudden stop we have had a situation where one of our cabin crew has been injured," the pilot stated, adding that the plane would return to the gate. He further explained, "The situation there is that they said they didn't follow instructions, we were told to hold short and we were focused on crossing a runway, so only by chance that at the last minute we were able to stop."
The Jetstar flight was en route to the Gold Coast, while the Qatar plane was empty and being towed at the time. A photograph depicted the Qatar aircraft stopped mere meters from the smaller Jetstar plane.
A spokesperson for Jetstar confirmed that the crew was adhering to instructions from Air Traffic Control. "Our aircraft was following instructions by Air Traffic Control when the pilots were forced to brake firmly after another aircraft came in close proximity," the spokesperson said. "We have commenced an investigation into the incident."
Air traffic control at Sydney Airport was operating under restrictions from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Sunday, which limited the number of flights that could depart or arrive. Airservices Australia attributed delays on the runway to rostering issues, which had already impacted over 150 flights on Friday and Saturday. A former Jetstar pilot, David Oliver, called the incident unusual, noting the typically coordinated nature of air traffic control operations at Sydney Airport.
This event follows a similar near-miss involving two Qantas planes on the runway just weeks prior. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating an incident on July 27 where a Qantas jet was cleared to cross the main runway while a QantasLink flight was landing. The ATSB described that event as a "breakdown of co-ordination," though both aircraft were reportedly acting on instructions from Airservices Australia air traffic controllers. The investigation into that incident is expected to conclude by the end of the year.
