A Qantas flight bound for Perth was forced to return to the gate and evacuate passengers after an engine issue caused flames to erupt from the aircraft's wing during takeoff preparations. The incident occurred on Sunday evening at Karratha Airport.
Passengers aboard flight QF1737, an Airbus A320-232, observed flames shooting from underneath the plane's wing shortly before its scheduled 7:15 pm departure. The pilots followed standard operating procedures, returning the aircraft safely to the bay.
All travelers were safely deplaned, and the flight was subsequently canceled. Qantas confirmed the issue was related to an engine problem.
"One of our flights to Perth experienced an engine issue shortly before take-off from Karratha on Sunday evening," a Qantas spokesperson stated. "Our pilots followed standard procedures and the aircraft returned safely to the bay. Safety is always our number one priority. We apologise to customers for the inconvenience and thank them for their understanding."
The airline arranged accommodation for the stranded passengers, who were rebooked on the next available flight departing on Monday morning. Engineers are scheduled to inspect the aircraft before it is returned to service.