Two passenger aircraft, a Jetstar A320 and a Qatar Airways Boeing 777, nearly collided on the tarmac at Australia's busiest Sydney Airport on Sunday, August 9, 2026. The Jetstar flight was taxiing for takeoff to the Gold Coast in Queensland when its crew noticed the Qatar Airways plane, which was being towed by an aircraft tug, in close proximity on a crossing taxiway, according to a statement by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).

"Both aircraft were stopped abruptly," the statement said, resulting in injury to a Jetstar cabin crew member who was moving through the cabin. Additionally, the connection between the Boeing 777's nose gear and the aircraft tug was damaged.

Jetstar, a low-cost subsidiary of Australia's national carrier Qantas, confirmed it was conducting its own investigation. A Jetstar spokesperson stated, "Our aircraft was following instructions by Air Traffic Control when the pilots were forced to brake firmly after another aircraft came in close proximity."

The ATSB is gathering data from both aircraft, air traffic control, and interviewing crew and tug operators to determine the cause of the near collision. The regulator has also called for witnesses at Sydney Airport to provide any visuals of the incident.

Following the incident, flights at Sydney Airport experienced delays, as reported by government agency Airservices Australia. This event occurred a day after widespread delays at the airport were caused by Airservices Australia authorizing "departure spacing" due to roster issues with air traffic controllers.

Sources