Dubai Plane Completes 13-Hour Flight To Australia

A picture shows an Emirates Airlines plane being unloaded the Dubai International Airport on Feb. 1, 2021. (Karim Shaib/AFP via Getty Images

An Emirates flight from Dubai flew for more than 13 hours to Australia with a large hole on its left side.

It took off July 1, and safely landed at night. However, passengers noticed a surprise on their arrival.

The Middle Eastern airline says the hole was created when one of the Airbus A380’s 22 tyres burst shortly after take-off in Dubai.

The explosion ripped through the plane’s exterior. No one was hurt.

Andrew Morris from the UK’s Loughborough University was on board the flight and wrote this on Twitter: “Was absolutely frightening at first, and the crew knew that something might have happened–were instantly in touch with the cockpit .”

” They resumed their normal lives shortly thereafter. Their calm demeanour was reassuring–they knew it was not catastrophic.”

According the commercial aviation website Aviation Herald the crew believed there was a flat tire during takeoff. They advised Brisbane Airport’s emergency service to be ready for landing.

Emirates issued an additional statement stating that the plane had safely landed in Australia.

“Our flight EK430 flying from Dubai to Brisbane on July 1 experienced a technical fault during the cruise,” the statement read.

” All passengers were able to disembark as planned after the aircraft safely landed in Brisbane. Safety of passengers and crew is our highest priority .”

Spotlight on Emirates’ Safety Record

This is the third serious safety incident that Emirates has had since last year.

An Emirates flight took off on Jan. 9 without any formal clearance. Crew members managed to slow down the takeoff for one minute without any injuries or damage.

Earlier on Dec. 20, it was reported that a plane departing Dubai for Washington D.C. overran the runway while taking off, narrowly missing houses close to the airport.

The Boeing passed over the first private homes nearly 6,000 meters past the runway threshold, flying 75 feet above ground level.