SYDNEY, Australia — A Qantas flight was forced to return to Sydney Airport on Friday after experiencing a "contained engine failure" shortly after takeoff, sparking a grassfire near the runway. The incident led to several flight diversions and delays.
Flight QF520, which was headed to Brisbane, circled the airport briefly before landing safely. The airline's Chief Pilot, Captain Richard Tobiano, confirmed that the plane had experienced a mechanical issue with one of its engines, but emphasized that the failure was contained and no explosion occurred, despite passengers hearing a loud noise.
“Qantas engineers conducted a preliminary inspection and confirmed the engine failure was contained,” the airline said in a statement. “While passengers may have heard a loud bang, it was not an explosion.”
According to Airservices Australia, the engine failure caused a nearby grass area to catch fire, but firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze. The government aviation regulator implemented a 47-minute ground stop at Sydney Airport to facilitate the plane's safe return.
There were no injuries reported, and the affected runway was expected to reopen later in the evening.
Passenger Georgina Lewis, who was onboard the flight, described hearing the "bang" and later learned from the pilot that the issue was with the right-hand engine. “The pilot came on about 10 minutes later to explain what had happened,” she told Channel Nine.
Mark Willacy, a journalist with ABC, also recalled the moment the plane struggled to lift off. "The loud bang as the wheels left the ground, and the shudder—that was like nothing I’ve ever felt,” he said. “When we landed, there was a lot of applause and cheering from the passengers."
Captain Tobiano reassured the public that Qantas staff are highly trained to handle such emergencies. “We understand this was a distressing experience for our passengers,” he said, adding that the airline would be contacting affected customers to offer support. "We are also conducting a full investigation to determine the cause of the engine issue."
Qantas said that, due to the incident, 11 domestic flights were canceled and four were diverted to other airports. A spokesperson for Sydney Airport confirmed that operations were gradually returning to normal later in the day.