The engine cowling of the massive aircraft was damaged, causing a 21-hour delay.
An unusual incident occurred on Saturday at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport. A Qantas Airbus A380 aircraft struck a bridge during ground operations at the international terminal before its scheduled QF63 flight to Johannesburg. The collision caused damage to the engine cowling of the massive aircraft, and the flight was cancelled.
According to reports, the A380-800 (registration VH-OQH), which was scheduled to depart at 09:30 local time, was taken in for detailed inspection by engineers due to the incident. It was confirmed that the aircraft required repairs before returning to service.
A Qantas spokesperson said in a statement following the incident, “We are investigating how a bridge came into contact with one of our aircraft’s engines.” The aircraft’s technical assessment will be carried out in Sydney.
Ground operations handled by Swissport
A detailed investigation has been launched regarding Swissport, the company responsible for the aircraft’s ground handling. Swissport, which provides ground services for Qantas at Sydney Airport, is under close scrutiny.
Johannesburg flight delayed
The approximately 15-hour flight to Johannesburg was rescheduled following a 21-hour delay. The aircraft’s new departure time from Sydney was set for 06:30 on Sunday morning.
