Qantas flight from Sydney Airport delayed almost a day after engine struck by aerobridge
Images posted on social media show one of the plane's engines pierced by the aerobridge's support beam.
A Qantas flight from Sydney to Johannesburg was delayed by 21 hours on July 12 after an aerobridge struck the aircraft during ground operations, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.
The incident took place at Sydney Airport's international terminal, where Qantas flight QF63 was preparing to depart for South Africa's largest city at 9.30am local time (7.30am Singapore time).
During the process, an aerobridge hit the Airbus A380 at its departure gate, according to reports.
The aerobridge functions as a moveable walkway. It can extend, retract and pivot to align perfectly with different aircraft doors, allowing passengers to board and disembark efficiently.
Images posted on social media show one of the Airbus A380's four Rolls-Royce engines pierced by the aerobridge's support beam.
No injuries were reported. Passengers on board were safely disembarked from the lower deck of the d ouble-decker aircraft, Qantas said.
According to a report by Australian broadcaster ABC News, the national carrier said it would provide overnight accommodation and transport in Sydney to passengers affected by the delay, if required.
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The flight, which typically takes abou t 15 hour s to reach South Africa's Johannesburg, was carrying a bout three-qua rters of its capacity of more than 480 passengers , ABC reported.
It is now expected to depart at 6.30am, local time, on July 13 instead.
Engineers are currently assessing the damage, and the aircraft will be repaired before it re-enters service with the airline's international fleet.
Sydney Airport said it was working closely with Qantas to support the impacted travellers.
'Earlier today there was an incident involving a Qantas aircraft making contact with an aerobridge during ground operations,' the airport said in a statement.
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