A truck sprays water where a grass fire occurred on a runway at Sydney International Airport on Nov. 8, 2024 after a Qantas plane made an emergency landing due what the carrier said was a "contained engine failure" soon after taking off from the airport.  DAVID GRAY / AFP via Getty Images
WORLD

Qantas plane turns back amid ‘engine failure’

TDT

Sydney, Australia (AFP) — A Qantas plane made an emergency landing Friday due to a “contained engine failure” soon after taking off from Sydney Airport, sparking a grassfire on a nearby runway and causing several flights to be diverted.

The Qantas flight, QF520, was bound for Brisbane and was circling for a “short period of time” before landing safely at Sydney Airport, Qantas Chief Pilot Captain Richard Tobiano said in the statement.

“Qantas engineers have conducted a preliminary inspection of the engine and confirmed it was a contained engine failure,” the airline said.