An Etihad Airways flight with 289 passengers on board was forced to abort its take-off at Melbourne Airport on Sunday evening after two wheels on the aircraft’s landing gear exploded. The incident occurred moments before the Boeing 787 jet, operating as flight EY461 to Abu Dhabi, was set to leave the runway.
Emergency services swiftly surrounded the aircraft, applying foam to the landing gear as a precautionary measure. No injuries were reported, and all passengers safely disembarked and returned to the terminal. However, the event caused significant disruption, with one of the airport’s runways temporarily closed, leading to delays for both departing and arriving flights, The Sun reported.
Videos shared on social media showed smoke and blaze emanating from the aircraft.
All the occupants are safe after an Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner plane (A6-BLN) with 289 passengers on board aborted take-off on Runway 34 after malfunction of the plane’s landing gear led to smoke and damage to two of the wheels this afternoon at Melbourne Airport… pic.twitter.com/zb4HtTjMKV
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) January 5, 2025
Etihad Airways clarified that the tyre bursts, which occurred during the rejected take-off, were routine in such situations and confirmed that the aircraft did not catch fire, as per The Khaleej Times.
Expressing regret over the incident, an Etihad Airways spokesperson told The Sun, “Etihad Airways flight EY461 from Melbourne (MEL) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) experienced a rejected take-off on 05 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.”
Our flight EY461 from Melbourne has been delayed, following a rejected take-off. The flight crew decided to reject the take-off for technical reasons and emergency services attended as a precaution. The safety and comfort of our guests and crew remains our highest priority. *Luke
— Etihad Airways (@etihad) January 5, 2025
They added, “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.”
Melbourne Airport Says Maintenance Work Underway On Affected Runway
A representative from Melbourne Airport confirmed that maintenance work on the affected runway was underway while operations continued using a single runway. According to The Sun, the representative stated, “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 firefighting 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 cause of the wheel explosions is currently under investigation.
