The flight crews of two aircraft that nearly collided with construction workers at Melbourne Airport were unaware that the runway was temporarily shortened by nearly 1,600 metres, according to an investigation report.
In September 2023, two large airliners — one from Malaysia Airlines and the other from Bamboo Airways — were involved in near-miss incidents at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport just 11 days apart.
Both aircraft almost struck construction workers and their equipment on runway 34, which had been shortened by 1,568 metres due to resurfacing works.
A report by the Australian Transport Safety Board (ATSB) revealed that the pilots of both flights had not been informed that the runway length was reduced, leading them to use incorrect take-off performance settings.
The report stated that the pilots conducted their take-off calculations assuming the full runway length was available, which resulted in lower engine thrust settings and extended take-off runs beyond the temporary runway end.
The first incident occurred on September 9, when a Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330 bound for Kuala Lumpur overran the runway and narrowly avoided construction workers and equipment by about seven metres.
The second incident took place on September 18, when a Bamboo Airways Boeing 787 flying to Hanoi came within 4.5 metres of workers on the same runway.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and both flights continued safely to their destinations.
The ATSB found that although flight dispatchers had noted the reduced runway length in pre-flight preparations, they failed to specifically mention it to the pilots during briefings.
According to the report, this was likely because both aircraft could still safely depart using the reduced runway if proper power settings were applied.
The report also highlighted that workload pressures, expectations, and time constraints affected the crews’ ability to detect critical information about the shortened runway.
Following the near misses, both airlines introduced new procedures to ensure that any operational changes, such as runway length reductions, are clearly communicated to dispatchers and pilots.
Bamboo Airways has since ceased flights to Melbourne and other Australian destinations, ending its services later in 2023.
