Jetstar, Qatar Airways planes come within metres in Sydney Airport near miss, second in 2 weeks
The Jetstar Airbus SE A320 was taxiing before a planned flight to the Gold Coast when the crew noticed the nearby Qatar Boeing Co. 777, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said in a statement. The Qatar jet was being towed by a tug and was on a crossing taxiway.
Footage on local media showed the two aircraft came within meters of hitting each other. Media reports included an announcement from crew to passengers on the Jetstar plane, indicating that it was “only by chance” that the Qatar jet was spotted and a collision was averted.
The near miss follows a similar incident between two Qantas Airways Ltd. planes on the runway at Sydney Airport last month. The safety bureau is also investigating that incident, which it described as a breakdown of coordination.
Currently sitting on the tarmac at Sydney Airport 25 minutes after we were meant to leave, because these two planes nearly collided on the tarmac! pic.twitter.com/iFf8VmFL84
— Dani Brown (@itsdanibrown) August 8, 2026
Collisions on the runway, although often at relatively low speeds, can still be disastrous.
In the latest incident, a Jetstar cabin crew member was injured when the aircraft suddenly stopped. There was also damage to the connection between the Qatar jet’s nose gear and the tug vehicle.
Safety investigators will interview the flight crew, tug operators and air traffic controllers, and will collect data from both aircraft and air traffic control.
Jetstar said its plane was following instructions from air traffic control when the pilots were “forced to brake firmly after another aircraft came in close proximity.” The low-cost airline, which is owned by Qantas, is also investigating the incident.Australia’s air traffic manager, Airservices Australia, said it is reviewing the incident and will assist with any safety investigation. Airservices Australia said it enforced measures including departure spacing at the airport to “safely manage projected airborne and departure demands” following the incident.
Qatar Airways didn’t respond to a request for comment.