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A Fiji Airways Boeing 737 MAX has been damaged at Brisbane’s international airport after an aerobridge incident – the third in as many months at the airport.
Flight FJ923 from Nadi, which landed at Brisbane Airport at 11.02pm on Saturday, was damaged at the gate when the aerobridge smashed into the cockpit’s left-hand windscreen.
All passengers safely disembarked via forward stairs.
The aerobridge struck the Fiji Airways Boeing 737 late on Saturday night at Brisbane Airport.Credit: Facebook
It came a little more than a month after a Qantas Boeing 737 was damaged in similar circumstances, and two months after an Air New Zealand Boeing 777 struck an aerobridge as it was being pushed back on May 22.
Brisbane Airport spokesman Peter Doherty said Saturday night’s incident was under investigation but hinted at user error.
“Fortunately, no crew or passengers were injured,” he said.
The damaged left windscreen on the Fiji Airways 737.Credit: Facebook
“A detailed overnight inspection of the aerobridge found no mechanical faults, and further rigorous inspections are being conducted today to ensure safety and operational integrity.”
Comment has been sought from Fiji Airways and Swissport, the aviation services company that operated the aerobridge.
The incident was almost a carbon copy of last month’s accident, in which a right-side windscreen was shattered on a Qantas Boeing 737 recently arrived from Queenstown in New Zealand.
In May’s incident, an Air New Zealand Boeing 777 struck an aerobridge as it was being pushed back from the terminal.
A seven-centimetre hole was discovered in the fuselage, just under the captain’s window, and the plane was flown back to Auckland unpressurised at 9000 feet – about a third of its usual altitude – with no passengers.
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