Sydney Airport Aerobridge Collision Delays Qantas Flight to Johannesburg

An incident involving an aerobridge at Sydney Airport has caused significant disruption, after it was rammed into a Qantas Airbus A380, delaying a flight to Johannesburg by nearly a day and stranding hundreds of passengers.

Qantas flight QF63 was scheduled to depart from Sydney’s international terminal at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, heading to South Africa’s largest city. During ground operations at the departure gate, the A380 made contact with the aerobridge. The airline confirmed that no injuries were reported among crew or passengers, and those onboard were disembarked via the aircraft’s lower deck.

The grounding has led to major delays for travelers bound for South Africa on what is typically a 15-hour flight. The flight has now been rescheduled to leave Sydney at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday. The aircraft, capable of carrying over 480 passengers and approximately three-quarters full at the time of the incident, will undergo repairs. Passengers affected by the delay will be provided with overnight accommodation and transportation in Sydney if needed.

Qantas stated that engineers are assessing the damage and that repairs are underway before the aircraft can rejoin the airline’s fleet for international service.

Sydney Airport officials said they are working closely with Qantas to assist those impacted by the delay. In a statement, they confirmed, “Earlier today, there was an incident involving a Qantas aircraft making contact with an aerobridge during ground operations.”