A Qantas Airbus A330-200 caused significant damage to Perth Airport’s runway 03 during takeoff on Sunday, September 15, 2024, leading to partial closure and urgent repairs.
The incident occurred around noon local time as flight QF71 departed for Singapore, with dramatic footage captured by planespotters showing large chunks of tarmac being thrown up behind the aircraft.
According to The Aviation Herald, the affected aircraft, registration VH-EBD, continued its journey and landed safely in Singapore approximately 4 hours and 50 minutes later.
Perth Airport officials confirmed that the runway remained partly operational after the pavement damage was detected.
“At approximately 12.00pm on Sunday 15 September, following an aircraft departure, pavement damage on the Main Runway at Perth Airport was identified,” an airport spokesperson told Australian Aviation.
The airport initiated urgent pavement maintenance works while keeping the cross runway fully operational.
The damage impacted around 20 meters of pavement within a 110-meter section that had recently been overlaid as part of a planned renewal of the 3,440-meter runway.
This newly resurfaced area was the first completed section of the project.
Despite the partial closure, the airport managed to minimize disruptions. Only one freight service, a Silk Way West Airlines 747-8F, was forced to divert to Adelaide.
All other services continued to operate safely, with no reported cancellations or significant delays.
Maintenance crews worked through the night, completing initial repairs by approximately 1:00 am on Monday, September 16.
The airport reopened the main runway for departures while continuing to investigate the cause of the pavement failure.
“Additional minor works are being carried out on the runway,” the airport spokesperson added on Monday afternoon.
“These additional works are based on the advice of an external civil engineer, sought as part of an ongoing investigation to understand the cause of the pavement failure.”
As of Monday, the main runway remained open for departures, with the cross runway fully operational.
Perth Airport assured that no other parts of the runway were impacted, as the damaged section was the first and only completed area of the renewal project.
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