Etihad flight aborts take-off in Melbourne after smoke seen from under plane

Airline confirms all 271 passengers safe after incident on runway

An Etihad Airways flight from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi was forced to abort taking off at the last minute on Sunday night. Reuters

An Etihad Airways flight was forced to abort take-off at the last minute at Melbourne Airport on Sunday night.

The incident occurred when Etihad Flight EY461, with 271 passengers on board, was moments from leaving the ground. Two tyres were seen deflated after the brakes were applied at high speed.

In a statement sent to The National, the UAE national airline said: "Flight EY461 from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi experienced a rejected take-off on January 5. The flight crew decided to halt the take-off for technical reasons, the aircraft was safely brought to a stop on the runway and emergency services attended as a precaution."

Footage from the scene showed fire engines surrounding the Boeing 787 on the tarmac. The plane is seen with two deflated tyres. "The fire service applied foam to the tyres on the aircraft’s landing gear, which is a routine precaution following a high-speed rejected take-off," the airline said.

Etihad said all 271 passengers disembarked safely and efforts were under way to help them "continue their onward journeys as quickly as possible". The airline added it regretted the inconvenience caused. The "safety and comfort of our guests and crew remain our highest priority", it added.