Narrow Escape: Jetstar and Qatar Airways Planes Almost Collide at Sydney Airport

WHO:

NY Post - The Jetstar plane was taxiing for takeoff to Queensland state's Gold Coast when its flight crew saw the Qatar Airways plane.

One Mile at a Time - Jetstar flight JQ402, an Airbus A320 with registration code VH-VQJ, and a Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER with registration code A7-BEU were involved in the incident.

One Mile at a Time - A flight attendant on the Jetstar aircraft was injured during the incident.

NY Post - The Australian Federal Minister for Transport commented on the incident.

WHAT:

Bloomberg Markets - An air safety investigation is underway after the near miss incident, marking the second such occurrence in two weeks.

One Mile at a Time - The Jetstar A320 was cleared to taxi to the departure runway while the Qatar Airways 777 was being towed to a remote area.

One Mile at a Time - The Jetstar A320 had to brake sharply, resulting in an injury to a flight attendant and causing the aircraft to return to the gate.

One Mile at a Time - The abrupt stop of the Qatar Airways 777 caused damage to the connection between the 777's nose gear and the aircraft tug.

One Mile at a Time - More than 150 flights were impacted due to restricted traffic at Sydney Airport following the incident.

WHERE:

One Mile at a Time - The incident occurred at Sydney Airport (SYD).

WHEN:

One Mile at a Time - The incident took place at around 7AM on Sunday, August 9, 2026.

WHY:

One Mile at a Time - The Australian Federal Minister for Transport stated that "as is policy, the ground controller and tug operator have been stood down for mandatory drug and alcohol testing."

One Mile at a Time - The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the incident to determine the cause, which may involve incorrect instructions from the ground controller or failure to follow instructions by the pilots or tug operator.

One Mile at a Time - Jetstar stated that their pilots were following instructions from Air Traffic Control when the incident occurred.

HOW:

One Mile at a Time - The Jetstar A320 was under its own power while taxiing, and the Qatar Airways 777 was being towed by a tug.

(UPDATED August 10, 2026 01:22 UTC)

An air safety investigation is underway following a near miss involving a Jetstar plane that was taxiing for takeoff to Queensland's Gold Coast when its flight crew spotted a Qatar Airways aircraft. This incident marks the second such occurrence in just two weeks, raising concerns about air traffic safety. In response, the Australian Federal Minister for Transport announced that, as per policy, the ground controller and tug operator have been stood down for mandatory drug and alcohol testing.

--

(UPDATED August 9, 2026 16:06 UTC)

A Jetstar flight, an Airbus A320, and a Qatar Airways Boeing 777 were involved in an incident at Sydney Airport, resulting in an injury to a flight attendant on the Jetstar aircraft. The Jetstar plane had to brake sharply while taxiing, which caused it to return to the gate and led to damage on the Qatar Airways aircraft during towing. More than 150 flights were affected due to restricted traffic at the airport, and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the incident for potential errors in communication or instructions.