By Abiola Olawale
An Etihad Airways flight, EY461, bound for Abu Dhabi from Melbourne Airport in Australia, experienced a major incident on Sunday where smoke and flames emerged from the landing gear, leading to two wheels exploding.
This caused the pilots to abort takeoff. The incident involved a Boeing 787 carrying over 300 passengers, who were all safely evacuated without any reported injuries.
It was gathered that emergency services responded promptly, applying foam to the landing gear as a precaution, and the situation was managed effectively to prevent any harm.
The runway was closed immediately, causing delays other international flights, but one runway remained operational for arrivals and departures.
Etihad Airways and Melbourne Airport authorities, in their reaction, expressed regret for the inconvenience and emphasized the safety and comfort of passengers and crew as their utmost priority.
They also added that repairs were underway to move the aircraft off the runway in Australia.
