Grass Fire Burns at Sydney Airport as Plane Makes Emergency Landing

A brush fire broke out along Sydney Airport’s runway on Friday, November 8, as a Brisbane-bound Qantas flight made an emergency return, the airport reported.

X user @coffeepakemilk recorded the grass fire from inside the airport.

The fire coincided with the emergency return to Sydney Airport of Qantas flight QF520, bound to Brisbane, the airport said, adding that an investigation was ongoing to determine whether the two incidents were linked.

“With the safe arrival of the aircraft, Sydney Airport’s priority is to conduct a full inspection of its parallel runway and to return it to service as quickly as possible,” Sydney Airport said, warning of potential delays.

Qantas confirmed the emergency return was due to a “contained engine failure,” which led to a loud bang. Credit: @coffeepakemilk via Storyful