An Emirates aircraft to Brisbane landed safely after a tyre burst and blew a hole in the outer skin of the plane.
The airline said all passengers disembarked as scheduled from Emirates flight EK430 in Brisbane on Friday.
“Our flight EK430 flying from Dubai to Brisbane on July 1 experienced a technical fault during the cruise,” the airline said in a statement to The National.
“One of the aircraft’s 22 tyres ruptured during cruise, causing damage to a small portion of the aerodynamic fairing, which is an outer panel or the skin of the aircraft.
“At no point did it have any impact on the fuselage, frame or structure of the aircraft.
“The fairing has been completely replaced, checked and cleared by engineers, Airbus and all relevant authorities.”
A fairing is a structure added to reduce drag on the aircraft’s surface.
The airline said the flight was not disrupted and the plane landed on schedule.
“The aircraft landed safely in Brisbane and all passengers disembarked as scheduled. The safety of our passengers and crew has always been our top priority.”
Australian media showed photographs of a plane with a hole on its side and reported that a tyre blew during take-off after a wheel exploded in the undercarriage.
Emirates flies to Australian cities including Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.
Australia opened to fully vaccinated international travellers in February this year after nearly two years of being closed to most overseas visitors.
The pandemic-related restrictions were eased earlier this year after the country shut down its borders to all non-citizens and non-residents in March 2020 in an attempt to limit the spread of Covid-19.
Emirates plane damaged in 2021 Milan hailstorm: in pictures
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The storm was so strong that hail stones managed to crack the windscreen of the flight deck. -
External view of the damaged flight deck windows. -
The Boeing 777-300ER circled the airport several times and eventually landed at 6.05pm. -
The nose of the plane can be seen with multiple dents and abrasions as a result of the storm. -
It is not known how many passengers were on board, but no injuries were reported. -
Emirates said the safety of its passengers and crew was of the utmost importance. -
Flight EK205 left Dubai for New York via Milan at 9.51am.
