05 January,2025 07:21 PM IST | Mumbai | Prasun Choudhari
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The landing gear of Ethiad flight EY461, a Boeing 787 with approximately 300 passengers on board, caught fire at Melbourne Airport in Australia. Two of the tires exploded when the plane was on the runway.
The aircraft was on its take off roll when the incident happened leading to the pilots aborting the take off and emergency services responding to the fire.
No injuries have been reported as of now.
An Etihad spokesperson said, "Etihad Airways flight EY461 from Melbourne (MEL) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) experienced a rejected take-off on 5 January, 2025. The flight crew decided to halt the take-off for technical reasons, the aircraft was safely brought to a stop on the runway and emergency services attended as a precaution. Guests have been disembarked safely and our teams are working to enable them to continue their onward journeys as quickly as possible. Etihad Airways sincerely regrets any inconvenience caused. The safety and comfort of our guests and crew remain our highest priority. The fire service applied foam to the tyres on the aircraft's landing gear, which is a routine precaution following a high-speed rejected take-off."
A Melbourne Airport spokesperson said repairs were being carried out, adding that one runway was being used for all arrivals and departures. "Etihad Airways flight EY461 rejected take off this evening when departing Melbourne Airport for Abu Dhabi. The Aviation Rescue and Firefighting Service responded to a request from the aircraft and deployed fire fighting foam as a precaution. Due to damage to the aircraft's tyres, we have been unable to tow it off the runway. Repairs are currently underway. All passengers have disembarked the aircraft and have been bussed to the terminal. We continue to have one runway available for operations, which will be used for all arrivals and departures. Disruptions to other flights have been minimal," the spokesperson said.
