A Jetstar flight heading to Thailand had to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff, creating quite a stir at Sydney airport. The flight, designated JQ27, took off around 3:20 PM on Wednesday, but returned to land safely back in Sydney just a couple of hours later at 5 PM. A spokesperson for Jetstar reported that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner experienced a ‘mechanical issue’ that prompted the pilots to request a priority landing. Emergency services were on standby as a precaution when the aircraft touched down. Initial reports suggested that the front tyre might have exploded during takeoff, but footage from 7NEWS showed engineers attending to the rear tyre, which looked quite worn. Jetstar later clarified that although one of the ten tyres was indeed damaged during the takeoff, it did not burst. Flight tracking data indicated that the aircraft circled multiple times over Richmond in northwest Sydney before making its final approach over the water east of the airport. The runway was temporarily closed for approximately half an hour to facilitate the emergency landing. Thankfully, all passengers onboard were reported safe, and the situation was handled without any major incidents. Images captured by 7NEWS showed the plane landing smoothly, much to the relief of everyone involved.
