SYDNEY, July 12 – A Qantas flight from Sydney to Johannesburg has been delayed by almost a full day after being struck by an aerobridge.
Flight QF63 was at a gate at Sydney Airport preparing for its scheduled 9:30 a.m. take-off for Johannesburg on Saturday when an aerobridge made contact with one of the Airbus A380’s four engines, causing damage.
Passengers, who had already boarded, disembarked via the aircraft’s lower deck. There were no reported injuries.
Qantas said in a statement that the flight would be delayed 21 hours until 6:45 a.m. on Sunday when a replacement aircraft will be available.
The airline said that an investigation into how the aerobridge made contact with the aircraft was underway.
“The aircraft will be inspected by engineers in Sydney and repaired before returning to service,” it said.
XINHUA
