A Qantas Airbus A330-200 aircraft caused significant damage to a main runway at Perth Airport during a takeoff on Sunday, September 15, 2024.
Qantas flight QF71, an Airbus A330-200 departing for Singapore, was making its takeoff from RWY03 Perth International Airport when the incident occurred.
Qantas QF71 Perth-Singapore
As the aircraft accelerated on the takeoff roll, large sections of the newly resurfaced runway were torn away behind it.
Video footage of the takeoff event captured the moment a large section of runway tarmac was torn away and lifted into the air, leaving a trail of debris.
The aircraft was able to complete the takeoff procedure. It then conducted the scheduled flight rotation to Singapore, where it landed without incident.
The takeoff incident forced Perth Airport authorities to close the runway for inspection and repairs. The airport managed to keep operational disruptions to a minimum following the incident. An arriving Silkway Boeing B748-8F freighter due to land following the runway damage was forced to divert to Adelaide.
Perth Airport RWY03 Inspection & Repairs
An airport spokesperson told local news source The West Australian that a safety inspection was conducting following the flight’s departure. The spokesperson confirmed that pavement maintenance works were underway to repair damaged runway sections.
While the exact cause of the damage is still under investigation, it is understood that recent maintenance work involving runway resurfacing had been recently carried out.
The aircraft conducting the QF71 rotation to Singapore Changi Airport was an Airbus A330-200, registered VH-EBD. This is a 21.6 year old widebody aircraft belonging to the Australian national carrier Qantas.
It has been in operational service with the airline since its initial delivery from the factory in April 2003.
Click the banner to subscribe to our weekly Emergencies and Incidents newsletter.
Click the photo to join our WhatsApp channel so then you can stay up to date with everything going on in the aviation industry!
