A Qantas flight was abruptly aborted this morning after Sydney Airport’s air traffic control tower received a report of smoke and flames coming from an engine.
The airline’s flight QF91 from Sydney to Noumea, due to depart at 7.37am, reached the runway when the pilot was alerted to a possible problem with the starboard engine. 9 Newsreported
Although there was no warning sign of fire in the cockpit, the pilot shut down the engine as a precaution and taxied the plane back to the terminal where the passengers were being unloaded.
Qantas said engineers had assessed the plane and cleared it to fly, with reports of a fire believed to be false.
“The pilots followed procedure and shut down the engine as a precaution after being alerted by the control tower while taxiing,” a Qantas spokesperson told news.com.au.
“There was no warning light in the cockpit and no sign of fire when the engine shut down.
“Engineers have inspected the aircraft and cleared it to return to service. Passengers were re-accommodated on another flight this morning.
“We thank passengers for their patience and understanding.”
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