Qantaslink plane evacuated after catching fire at airport

All 24 passengers escaped unscathed

QantasLink flight had to be evacuated (Getty Images)

A planeload of passengers had to be evacuated when a Qantaslink plane caught fire after landing at Sydney aiport.

Flight QF2265 from Lord Howe Island had touched down on Tuesday (8 November) when the fire occurred.

The 24 travellers onboard had to be evacuated off the Dash-8 aircraft, all managing to escape unharmed via a set of stairs at the front of the plane before any smoke made it into the cabin.

The start of the fire was traced to an area near the aircraft tyres.

“Passengers on a flight from Lord Howe Island to Sydney were evacuated following reports of flames near the tyres after the aircraft had landed safely,” QantasLink CEO John Gissing told the NZ Herald.

“We appreciate this would have been unsettling for passengers and we thank them and our crew for evacuating in a calm and orderly manner.”

Travellers were bussed to the terminal while firefighters attended the blaze.

Engineers will inspect the plane to find the source of the fault, according to Qantaslink, the regional arm of Australian flag carrier Qantas that operates domestic services within the country.

It’s not the first time a plane has caught fire.

Passengers on a Tui flight got a shock on landing at Manchester Airport in August as their plane was surrounded by firefighters and smoke emerged from the engines.

Flight TOM2609, which was operated by an unnamed partner airline, had flown from Mahon in Menorca when it encountered a “technical issue” on landing.

Passenger Jonathan Butler told reporters that he had seen smoke billowing from the aircraft, and added that the pilot had informed passengers of an “oil spillage”.

“The plane landed okay, but we were on the flight for a while afterwards,” he told Manchester Evening News.

“Then when I looked to my right I could see smoke coming out of the engine. Then the captain came on and said there had been an oil spillage.”

He praised crew but said, “It was bit worrying with all the emergency services there. There were fire engines everywhere. I’m a bit of an anxious flyer, so it definitely didn’t help.”