Australian Plane Makes Emergency Landing After Engine Failure, Runway Fire

A Qantas passenger jet departing Sydney faced an engine failure shortly after takeoff on Friday, prompting it to circle back for an emergency landing, according to a statement from the airline on X.

At the same time, a fire broke out in the grass along one side of the runway, Sydney Airport authorities confirmed.

The connection between the engine issue and the fire remains uncertain, though officials have since contained the blaze. Some delays to other flights are anticipated.

The aircraft involved, a twin-engine Boeing 737-800 en route to Brisbane, suffered a reported loud engine malfunction.

While Qantas has not disclosed the number of passengers on board, no injuries were reported.

Qantas Chief Pilot Captain Richard Tobiano commented, “We understand this would have been a distressing experience for customers, and we will be contacting all customers this afternoon to provide support.

“We will also be conducting an investigation into the cause of the engine issue.”

Details later…