Virgin Australia’s ‘bunny hop’ landing at Sydney under investigation

An investigation is underway into a ‘bunny hop’ landing by a Virgin Australia flight at Sydney Airport.

The ATSB is investigating a ‘bunny hop’ landing by a Virgin 737 at Sydney Airport on March 10. Picture: iStock

An investigation is underway into a Virgin Australia flight that “bunny-hopped” on landing at Sydney Airport on March 10.

Virgin Australia confirmed the “hard landing” of flight VA916 from Brisbane.

A spokeswoman said safety was the airline’s top priority, and they were working with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau to support the “ongoing investigation”.

The ATSB summary said while landing on runway 34R at Sydney Airport, the 737 “bounced following the first touchdown”.

“The flight crew continued the landing, resulting in a second touchdown with an acceleration of about 3G,” said the summary.

“There was no reported injuries or damage to the aircraft.”

The weather on the morning of March 10 was fine with light west-northwest winds according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

The ATSB prioritised incidents for investigation involving high capacity commercial aircraft, where there was opportunity for learnings about safety.

A final report on the incident was expected by late September.

“Should a critical safety issue be identified during the course of the investigation, the ATSB will immediately notify relevant parties so appropriate safety action can be taken,” said the ATSB summary.

Since emerging from administration with new owners Bain Capital, Virgin Australia has carved out a steady 33 per cent share of the domestic market, and carries more passengers than Qantas on larger city routes.

The latest Australian Competition and Consumer Commission report revealed Virgin Australia had 38.1 per cent market share on city routes in January, 4 per cent ahead of Qantas, which had been the case since August 2022.

Airline executives are currently working on plans to relist Virgin Australia on the ASX later this year with an IPO expected to raise at least $1bn.

There is some unrest among employees, however, after pilots, cabin crew and engineers agreed to discount deals to help the airline get back on its feet following its near collapse in 2020.

The Australian Federation of Air Pilots is lobbying management for a better deal, warning pilots will head overseas to much more lucrative positions if pay rates are not improved.

Cabin crew are also seeking increases and better conditions, with the Flight Attendants Association of Australia claiming many were exhausted and struggling to make ends meet.

Bonuses of $500 or 0.5 per cent of their base salary were handed out last year in an effort to appease employees. It’s understood another 4 per cent bonus is being considered for payment in September, based on Virgin Australia’s financial performance.

For the first half of the 2023 financial year, the airline reported a profit of around $125m, it’s first gain in a decade.

Virgin Australia has acknowledged the need for change in some enterprise agreements and is committed to addressing those in current and future negotiations.

Originally published as Virgin Australia’s ‘bunny hop’ landing at Sydney under investigation