Two planes involved in second recent near-miss at Sydney Airport

Two planes have been involved in a near-miss while taxiing on the runway at Sydney Airport, forcing one plane to brake suddenly and injuring a crew member, in the second such incident at the airport in a fortnight.

A Qatar Airways and Jetstar aircraft were photographed on the runway metres from each other just after 7am on Sunday.

There were 180 passengers on board Jetstar flight JQ402, which was heading to the Gold Coast, when the pilot spotted the Qatar Boeing 777 to his right, Nine News reported. The Qatar plane had no passengers on board and was being towed at the time, according to the report.

The pilot applied the brakes on the Airbus A320, causing one flight attendant who was moving throughout the cabin to fall. The attendant was treated by paramedics for minor injuries. No passengers were injured.

The Jetstar pilot, captured on videos by passengers, told them a cabin crew member had been injured. “We need a safety car due to the proximity of the [plane] to the right,” he said.

“We were focusing on crossing a runway so only by chance … we were able to stop.”

A Jetstar spokesperson said the aircraft was following air traffic control instructions.

“The pilots were forced to brake firmly after another aircraft came in close proximity,” the spokesperson said.

An investigation into the incident has been launched.

A spokesperson for Airservices Australia, which manages air traffic movement, said departures had been spaced at longer intervals after the incident.

“We are working with airlines to reduce delays and the impact on passenger travel as much as possible,” the spokesperson said. The company will review the incident and assist with safety investigations.

The return Jetstar flight from the Gold Coast has been cancelled, with customers to be rebooked on later services.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it would collect available data from both aircraft and air traffic control, with investigators to interview the involved flight crew, tug operators and air traffic controllers, plus other witnesses and involved parties, and collect relevant recorded information including CCTV footage.

The bureau confirmed there was damage to the Qatar plane’s nose gear and the aircraft tug.

Premier Chris Minns said he was concerned about the incident.

“We want to make sure that the airport’s operating at full capacity. That’s hugely important for our economy,” he said.

“We don’t want to see people disrupted if they go to the airport and services are cancelled because there’s not enough air traffic controllers … We can’t have massive delays or near misses.”

An investigation into a second near miss at the airport on Wednesday is also underway, after a Qantas flight was cleared to cross a runway in front of another of the airline’s flights that had just come in to land. Both parties had been cleared to proceed by air traffic control, a Qantas spokesperson said.

Sydney airport experienced lengthy delays across Friday and Saturday with more than 150 flights affected amid staff shortages at air traffic control.

Chief executive of airline peak body A4ANZ Stephen Beckett previously told the Herald workers calling in sick or for carer duties were causing the network to “grind to a halt,” and calling for Airservices Australia to improve its capabilities.

Airservices Australia said it was investing in training and recruitment. Ground delays attributable to the company fell by 13% year-on-year to less than 0.1% of total network delays, according to its latest financial report.

Qatar Airways has been contacted for comment.

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