Etihad flight aborts take-off at Melbourne Airport - blocks runway

ETIHAD AIRWAYS BOEING 787-9 A6-BLR (MSN 39663)

An Etihad aircraft travelling from Melbourne-Tullamarine Airport (MEL/YMML) to Abu Dhabi-Bateen Airport (AZI/OMAD) was forced to abandon its take-off at Melbourne Airport on Sunday night after an issue with its wheels. Airport fire crews were called to the main runway (16/34) after the Etihad Airways flight EY461 carrying nearly 300 passengers "rejected its take-off".

"The Aviation Rescue and Firefighting Service responded to a request from the aircraft and deployed firefighting foam as a precaution," a Melbourne Airport spokesperson said.

"All passengers were disembarked from the aircraft and were bussed to the terminal yesterday evening."

The plane remained on the runway until mid-morning today (Monday).

An airport spokesperson said repairs were required to enable the aircraft to be moved. She said it had now been towed, allowing the airport to re-open the runway. The airport said no flights had been cancelled. Delays appeared to be clearing as operations returned to normal.

"We apologise to passengers for any inconvenience," the spokesperson said.

"Etihad Airways has advised that it is re-booking passengers on future flights."

An investigation has commenced into what caused the incident. 

Runway 16/34 is the main runway at Melbourne Airport with a length of 3,657 Mts (12,000 ft). The second runway, 09/27 is 2,286 Mts (7,500 ft)

There were no flight cancellations due to the incident, but long-haul flights had to take on less fuel due to departing from the shorter runway, meaning they will have call into another airport for more fuel. 

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Etihad Airways

Code: EY/ETD

Aircraft: Boeing 787-9

Registration: A6-BLN

Serial Number: 39659

Engines: 2 x Genx-1b74/75/P1

First Flew: 1st June 2017

Age: 7.7 Years