Flight disruptions at Melbourne Airport as Etihad Airways aircraft stuck on runway for 14 hours after tyres ‘burst’

An Etihad Airways plane was stuck on the runway at Melbourne Airport for almost 14 hours after rejecting takeoff on Sunday night.

An Etihad Airways plane was stuck on the runway at Melbourne Airport for almost 14 hours after it was forced to abandon a takeoff on Sunday night and its tyres reportedly “burst”.

It meant only one runway was available for operations, causing flight disruptions during what is expected to be Melbourne Airport’s busiest summer for international travel ever.

Etihad confirmed its 6.15pm flight bound for Abu Dhabi rejected takeoff for “technical reasons”, while the airport confirmed the aircraft’s tyres were damaged, meaning the Boeing 787-9 could not be towed off the runway until repairs were done on location.

Melbourne Airport told news.com.au early on Monday morning that the 289 passengers on board disembarked the aircraft safely on Sunday night and were bussed back to the terminal, but the aircraft remained on the runway.

In an 8am update, Melbourne Airport confirmed the aircraft had finally been safely towed from the runway.

“Runway inspections have been completed and the runway has been reopened for operations,” an airport spokeswoman said.

Earlier on Monday morning, the spokeswoman said there had been disruptions to some flights as only one runway was available for operations and was being used for all arrivals and departures.

“Some flights have departed with less fuel and will need to refuel on the way to their final destination,” she said.

The Aviation Rescue and Firefighting Service had deployed fire fighting foam as a precaution on Sunday when flight EY461 requested assistance.

One passenger told Melbourne radio host Jacqueline Felgate that the aircraft “had to slam on the emergency brakes while attempting takeoff” after two tyres “burst”.

A traveller who arrived at the airport on a different flight at the time described what it was like inside the terminal.

“So many people inside the terminal it was insane and overhead announcements changing gate numbers etc. Felt sorry for all the waiting passengers,” she wrote.

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Melbourne Airport was down to one runway as the aircraft was unable to be towed due to damage to its tyres. Picture: X/Craig Minty

Etihad said in a statement: “The flight crew decided to reject the takeoff for technical reasons and emergency services attended as a precaution. The safety and comfort of our guests and crew remains our highest priority”.

Passengers on the flight were told to ensure their contact details were up-to-date on their booking as they would be updated via SMS or email with the latest flight information.

Etihad’s flight tracker says flight EY461 is “awaiting update” and does not list a new departure time.

More than 4.8 million passengers are forecast to pass through Melbourne Airport between December 13 and January 27, including more than 1.8 million international travellers, which would be a new record.