Etihad flight blows two tyres and blocks Melbourne runway after aborted takeoff

Melbourne Airport operations are back to full speed after an aborted takeoff by an Etihad aircraft blocked the runway for over 12 hours.

An Etihad Airways’ aircraft has been removed from the runway at Melbourne Airport, more than 12 hours after the pilots slammed on the brakes during the takeoff roll, bursting two tyres on the Boeing 787-9.

It was unclear why the pilots made a last minute decision not to get airborne on flight EY461 to Abu Dhabi on Sunday evening.

A statement from Etihad said the flight crew decided to halt the takeoff for technical reasons.

It’s understood the 787 with 289 people on-board had accelerated to approximately 280km/h on runway 34 when the takeoff was rejected.

As the aircraft came to a screeching halt, emergency services leapt into action, spraying the smoking landing gear which is thought to have caused two tyres to burst.

Melbourne Airport confirmed all of those on board safely disembarked the aircraft via the stairs, and were bussed to the terminal.

Following the incident, the aircraft remained on the runway until early Monday morning, awaiting the replacement of the tyres and undergoing engineering inspections.

An Etihad Airways' Boeing 787-9 similar to the one that blew two tires after an aborted takeoff at Melbourne Airport.

A Boeing 787-9 has ten tyres in total, including two at the front and eight in the back.

A Melbourne Airport spokesman said the aircraft had now been safely towed from the runway.

“Runway inspections have been completed and the runway has been reopened for operations this morning,” he said.

Although there were no flight cancellations, a number of services were delayed due to the single runway operations at Melbourne overnight and early Monday.

Etihad has provided few details of the incident, but issued a statement on Monday afternoon saying the airline “sincerely regrets any inconvenience caused”.

“The safety and comfort of our guests and crew remain our highest priority,” said the statement.

“Our teams are working to enable guests to continue their onward journeys as quickly as possible.”

The statement said it was a “routine precaution” to apply foam to the tyres on aircraft landing gear following a high-speed rejected takeoff.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is gathering more information from the airline, airport and air traffic control, before deciding whether an investigation is warranted.

At Sydney in November, a Qantas 737 started a grassfire on takeoff, as a result of an engine malfunction. The aircraft was able to return to Sydney and land safely on one engine.

Originally published as Etihad flight blows two tyres and blocks Melbourne runway after aborted takeoff