A Jetstar flight on its way to Thailand was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff. Flight JQ27 departed from Sydney airport around 3:20 PM on Wednesday, but returned to land back in Sydney by 5 PM. According to a Jetstar spokesperson, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner encountered a mechanical issue. The pilots made a priority landing request, and emergency services were on standby as a precaution. Engineers are currently investigating the cause of the problem.
Initially, it was thought that the front tyre had exploded during takeoff. However, footage from 7NEWS captured engineers attending to the rear tyre, which seemed to be worn out. Jetstar later confirmed that one of the ten tyres was indeed damaged during takeoff, but it did not burst.
Flight tracking data indicated that the aircraft circled several times near Richmond in northwest Sydney before heading over water to the east of the airport for its landing. The runway was temporarily closed for about half an hour to facilitate the emergency landing, but according to 7NEWS helicopter footage, the plane landed without any issues. Fortunately, all passengers onboard were reported to be safe.
