Technical reasons have been blamed for a plane's high-speed aborted take-off that caused its tyres to burst, with an aviation expert saying the pilots were acting on the side of safety.
The Etihad Airways flight EY461 bound for Abu Dhabi with almost 300 people on board had to slam on the emergency brakes just moments before taking to the air at 6.15pm Sunday at Melbourne Airport.
On Monday afternoon, Etihad confirmed "technical reasons" led to the pilots halting the take-off, which resulted in two tyres deflating as the plane decelerated from high speeds.
Update on Etihad Airways flight EY461:> the pilot rejected take off yesterday evening when departing for Abu Dhabi. All 289 passengers safely disembarked the aircraft and were bussed to the terminal. The Etihad aircraft has been safely towed from the runway, inspections have been…— Melbourne Airport (@Melair) January 5, 2025
"Etihad Airways sincerely regrets any inconvenience caused," a spokesperson said in a statement.
"The safety and comfort of our guests and crew remain our highest priority."
The Aviation Rescue and Firefighting Service used firefighting foam on the tyre.
The plane remained on the tarmac on Monday morning due to the damage to its tyres but was able to be towed off the runway just after 8am.
Passenger Vince said the plane was speeding down the runway and about to take off when the brakes went on quickly - and hard.
He said the incident was unexpected as there were no bangs or warning signs beforehand.
"We didn't see any fire, any smoke at that particular point when the breaks were happening but as we were stopping, that's where we got to see some smoke," he told 3AW Melbourne on Monday.
Aviation expert Doug Drury said if the emergency was critical, taking off would not have been a good idea.
There were no cancellations, but the incident disrupted flights at Melbourne Airport. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)
The Central Queensland University aviation department head, who has more than 45 years of flying experience, said the plane would have been approaching the point where it was no longer safe to abort take-off as it hurtled down the runway.
"It's a pilot's worst nightmare to have to make that snap decision at that critical moment," Professor Drury told AAP.
"From where they were at 300km/h point to stopping, they would have done anything they can to get that aircraft stopped.
"It would have been pretty hard on the tyres, so they would have blown no matter what."
With more than 29,000 aircraft flying around the globe every day, he said the likelihood of planes aborting take-off or having a tyre blowout were very small.
"The pilots train for it. They spend a lot of time in the simulator honing that skill," Prof Drury said.
"They were erring on the side of safety and using all their skills to ensure the aircraft remained in a safe spot, which would be the runway."
There were no cancellations, but flights were disrupted at Melbourne Airport as it operated one runway for all arrivals and departures - on the day many Australians returned to work after the festive period.
An airport spokesperson said Etihad had advised the airport it was re-booking passengers on future flights.