Melbourne Airport temporarily suspended operations on its north-south runway after an Etihad Airways Dreamliner aborted takeoff on Sunday evening.
On 5 January 2025, an Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aborted its takeoff at Melbourne International Airport (MEL). The incident involved flight EY461, which was preparing to depart runway 34 for Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH).
Etihad Airways EY461 Melbourne-Abu Dhabi
During the takeoff and rejected takeoff procedure, the aircraft suffered two burst maingear tyres. It is unclear from early reports as to what point in the procedure the aircraft sustained the tyre bursts.
The aircraft was subsequently brought to a stop on the active runway. Emergency services attended the aircraft, surrounding it and applying firefighting foam to the landing gear.
Etihad Airways announced via its X account that they had aborted takeoff due to “technical reasons.”
“Etihad Airways flight EY461 from Melbourne (MEL) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) experienced a rejected take-off on 05 January 2025. The flight crew decided to halt the take-off for technical reasons. Flight crew brought the aircraft safely to a stop on the runway, and emergency services attended as a precaution.”
Melbourne Airport reconfirmed this in a subsequent social media post.
All 289 passengers were safely evacuated from the aircraft by the flight crew. No injuries were reported. However, the incident caused significant disruption to the airport’s operations, with several flights delayed or diverted.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has launched an investigation into the incident to determine the cause of the landing gear malfunction. Etihad Airways has also released a statement saying that the safety of its passengers and crew is its top priority.
Flight data shows that flight EY461 had commenced a departure from Melbourne International Airport at 1815 local time on 5 January.
The aircraft conducting the service to Abu Dhabi International Airport was a Boeing 787-9, registered A6-BLN. This is a 7.6 year old widebody aircraft belonging to the carrier Etihad Airways. It has been in operational service with the airline since its initial delivery from the factory in June 2017.
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