Planes came within metres of hitting Melbourne airport workers in ‘terrifying’ incidents after runway shortened

Australian safety investigation finds serious accidents involving two planes in September 2023 were only avoided ‘by luck’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo passenger planes only narrowly avoided colliding with construction vehicles and workers during takeoff at Melbourne airport in 2023, in one case by less than five metres, because the flight crews were unaware the runway was nearly 1,600m shorter than usual, an Australian safety investigation has found.The incidents, described as “terrifying” for workers on the ground, have prompted changes to domestic and international practices on notifying flight crews about critical safety information to reduce the potential for human error in takeoff. Continue reading…