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 9th, 2026. The Jetstar flight was taxiing for takeoff to the Gold Coast in Queensland when its crew spotted the Qatar Airways plane being towed by an aircraft tug in close proximity on a crossing taxiway, according to a statement from 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 at the time. 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 Australia's safety regulators. The ATSB is gathering data from both planes, 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.

Flights at Sydney Airport experienced delays following the event, the government agency Airservices Australia reported. Sunday's incident occurred a day after the airport faced widespread delays due to Airservices Australia authorizing "departure spacing" amid roster issues with air traffic controllers.

Sources