Qantas flight to Johannesburg delayed 21 hours at Sydney airport after aerobridge damages aircraft

A Qantas flight bound for Johannesburg was grounded on Saturday morning, July 12 after an aerobridge at Sydney Airport struck the aircraft, damaging one of its engines and delaying the departure by nearly a day.

Flight QF63, scheduled to leave Sydney on Saturday, July 12, at 9:30 am, was forced to abort take-off preparations after the Airbus A380 made contact with the aerobridge during ground operations at the international terminal.

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Images obtained by media agencies revealed a visible puncture in one of the plane’s four Rolls-Royce engines, reportedly caused by the aerobridge's support beam.

The aircraft, which was carrying approximately 360 passengers, about three-quarters of its full capacity, was evacuated via the lower deck.

No injuries to passengers or crew were reported.

Qantas engineers are currently assessing and repairing the damage. The airline has rescheduled the 15-hour-long flight to depart at 6:30 am on Sunday, a 21-hour delay. The airline told ABC that affected passengers are being provided with accommodation and transportation as needed.

In a statement, Sydney Airport confirmed the incident and said it was working closely with Qantas to assist passengers and investigate the cause.

"Earlier today there was an incident involving a Qantas aircraft making contact with an aerobridge during ground operations. We are working closely with Qantas as they investigate the cause of the incident and thank passengers for their patience and understanding," the airport said.

This is the second aerobridge-related incident at Sydney Airport in recent months. In May, a Qantas ground staff member was hospitalised after falling five metres from an aerobridge at the domestic terminal. That incident prompted a joint investigation by Qantas, Sydney Airport, and SafeWork NSW.

Qantas said the damaged A380 will return to service following repairs and clearance by engineering teams.