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

"Both aircraft were stopped abruptly," the ATSB stated, which resulted in a Jetstar cabin crew member being injured while moving through the cabin. Additionally, the connection between the Boeing 777's nose gear and the aircraft tug was damaged.

A Jetstar spokesperson said, "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 incident has triggered a probe by Australian safety regulators. The ATSB is collecting data from both aircraft, air traffic control, and interviewing crew and tug operators to determine the cause of the near collision. Jetstar, a low-cost subsidiary of Qantas, is also conducting its own investigation.

Following the event, flights at Sydney Airport experienced delays, as reported by government agency Airservices Australia. This incident occurred a day after the airport faced widespread delays due to "departure spacing" authorized by Airservices Australia amid air traffic controller roster issues.

Sources