Australian aviation safety authorities have opened an investigation after two passenger aircraft came dangerously close to colliding at Sydney Airport, forcing a Jetstar flight to make a sudden stop and leaving a crew member injured.
The incident occurred on Sunday morning at Australia’s busiest airport, disrupting flight operations and causing delays. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said a Jetstar Airbus A320 was taxiing for a flight to the Gold Coast when its crew saw a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 being towed across a nearby taxiway.
The two aircraft came into close proximity, prompting the Jetstar pilots to brake sharply. The sudden stop caused a cabin crew member on the A320 to suffer an injury. The connection between the Qatar Airways aircraft’s nose landing gear and the tug towing it was also damaged.
The injured Jetstar crew member was treated by paramedics following the incident.
The ATSB has begun gathering information from the aircraft involved, air traffic controllers, the Jetstar crew and the operators of the towing vehicle. Investigators are seeking to establish how the two aircraft came so close to one another and whether instructions from air traffic control were followed.
The safety bureau has also appealed to passengers, airport workers and other witnesses who may have recorded the incident to provide any video footage that could assist the investigation.
Jetstar said its aircraft had been following directions from air traffic control when its pilots were forced to brake after the Qatar Airways plane came into close proximity.
“Our aircraft was following instructions by Air Traffic Control when the pilots were forced to brake firmly after another aircraft came in close proximity,” a Jetstar spokeswoman said.
The incident affected airport operations, with Airservices Australia reporting delays to flights at Sydney Airport.
Qatar Airways had not immediately responded to requests for comment.
An official familiar with the early investigation, who was not authorised to speak publicly, said initial information indicated that the tug towing the Qatar Airways aircraft may not have followed air traffic control instructions.
The ATSB investigation will examine that possibility alongside other factors, including communication between the aircraft, ground crews and controllers.
Near collisions between aircraft are treated as serious aviation safety incidents because they can expose weaknesses in airport ground movements, communication procedures and traffic coordination. Investigators will assess the available evidence before determining whether further safety recommendations or regulatory action are required.
The incident comes as Sydney Airport continues to handle large volumes of domestic and international traffic, making effective coordination between aircraft, ground vehicles and air traffic controllers essential to maintaining safe operations.
