Newcastle Airport hosted its largest aircraft to date at the weekend – albeit unexpectedly.
A Qantas Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner landed at the Williamtown address after thunderstorms above Sydney forced the craft to seek alternative arrangements.
Passengers onboard QF28 had been travelling from Santiago to Sydney.
Their flight was due to arrive at the harbour city at 7pm AEST.
After 14 hours and 36 minutes of flying time, the weary passengers touched down at Newcastle Airport.
Its arrival makes the VH-ZNJ Longreach the largest passenger aircraft to have landed at the city’s airstrip.
A Newcastle Airport spokesperson confirmed the unexpected nature of the visit meant the site was unprepared for the size of the aircraft.
“Unfortunately, Newcastle Airport is not yet configured to accommodate a Boeing Dreamliner 787.
“This will change when the expansion of international facilities to accommodate large Code E aircraft is complete in 2024.”
Passengers remained onboard the aircraft for almost seven hours while necessary equipment and security checks were prepared.
At 2am on Sunday 19 February, a set of stairs (tall enough to allow passengers to disembark the larger aircraft) were brought from RAAF Williamtown.
After hours spent at the airport terminal, border agency officials arrived, via a Qantas flight, from Sydney to assist customers with the departure process.
The QF28 once again took to the skies at 9.25am bound for Sydney.
“Local airline and airport staff provided food, water, and support to the passengers throughout the night,” said the airport spokesperson.
“Newcastle Airport operations staff worked closely with all stakeholders to manage the event.”
The incident comes ahead of a $55 million investment that will see Newcastle Airport become an international airport by 2024.
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