One of Australia’s busiest airports is operating with one runway as work continues to repair a plane damaged during an aborted take-off.
The Etihad plane bound for Abu Dhabi with just under 300 people on board had to abort its departure at Melbourne Airport on Sunday “for technical reasons”.
Flight EY461 reportedly hit on the emergency brakes just moments before taking to the air at 6.15pm.
The Aviation Rescue and Firefighting Service was called and deployed firefighting foam as a precaution, a Melbourne Airport statement said.
Due to the damage to the aircraft’s tyres, the plane remained on the runway on Monday morning, with repairs currently underway.
It means Melbourne Airport is only operating with one runway which will be used for all arrivals and departures — on the day many Australians return to work after the festive period.
“While there have been no cancellations at this stage, there have been disruptions to some flights,” a spokesperson told the Australian Associated Press.
“Some flights have departed with less fuel and will need to refuel on the way to their final destination.”
The spokesperson said Etihad has advised the airport it is re-booking passengers on future flights.