Boeing 787 Dreamliner aborts takeoff at the last minute

An Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aborted takeoff from Melbourne Airport in Australia on Sunday due to technical reasons, according to reports.

Etihad Airways flight EY461, bound for Abu Dhabi from Melbourne, began accelerating on the runway at around 7pm before slamming on the brakes and coming to a stop.

Etihad Airways told UAE state newspaper The National: “The flight crew decided to abort the takeoff for technical reasons, the aircraft came to a safe stop on the runway and emergency services were called in as a precautionary measure.” spoke.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that a passenger on the plane said two tires burst after the landing gear caught fire.

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Etihad Airways did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.

A Melbourne Airport spokesperson told FOX Business that emergency crews responded to the aircraft and used fire extinguishing foam as a precaution.

“All 289 passengers disembarked the plane safely and headed to the terminal by bus yesterday evening,” the spokesperson added.

Once the passengers exited the plane, it was towed off the runway.

The incident forced authorities to close the runway, which did not reopen until Monday morning local time, when all inspections of the runway were completed.

Etihad Airways told airport authorities it would rebook passengers on future flights.

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A plane takes off from Melbourne Airport on July 31, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Morgan Hancock/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Flight tracking site FlightRadar24.com shows the plane’s trajectory from the terminal to the runway, and data shows it reached about 170 miles per hour before coming to a stop.

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing suffered one crisis after another in 2024, when a door on a Boeing 737 Max operated by Alaska Airlines flew off.

Investigators found four key bolts missing from the door plugs of a Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft that took off from Portland, Oregon on January 5, 2024. At 16,000 feet, a panel was blown off and the cabin was depressurized. before the plane safely returned to Portland International Airport.

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Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images/File

Boeing also launched an investigation into whether some fasteners on undelivered 787 Dreamliner planes were installed incorrectly.

“Boeing has disclosed that fuselage fasteners may have been improperly installed on some 787 Dreamliner aircraft,” the Federal Aviation Administration told FOX Business last year.

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When asked for comment on the aborted takeoff, Boeing deferred all questions from FOX Business to Etihad Airways.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman and Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.