Qantas confirms engine failure as fire ignites at Sydney Airport, warning over 'severe' heatwave: Australia news live

Passengers have said they heard a "loud bang" on the Qantas flight that was forced to make an emergency landing this afternoon at Sydney Airport.

“[The plane] kept circling and then everyone started to panic. We were shaking, I’m still shaking… it was actually really frightening," passenger Ashleigh McDonald told The Australian. She said the pilot had announced to passengers the engine had failed and instructed everyone to put their window up.

Passenger Mark Willacy told the ABC he too heard the bang, calling the flight the scariest of his life.

Authorities say the fire at Sydney Airport is now contained. Superintendent Adam Dewberry said the fire was exacerbated by strong winds in the area.

It is still not confirmed whether the fire is linked to the engine failure on the Qantas flight that was forced to return to the airport at the same time.

Qantas has quarantined cockpit voice and flight data recorders from one of its 737 aircraft at the request of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) after it suffered engine failure.

The Brisbane-bound flight was forced to make an emergency landing on Friday afternoon at Sydney Airport shortly after take-off, with the ATSB now investigating.

“A team of transport safety investigators, with experience in aircraft maintenance, aircraft operations, material failure analysis and data recovery, has commenced the evidence collection phase of this investigation," ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said.

“Other likely investigation activities will include interviewing the flight crew, reviewing operator procedures, analysing weather information, examining any relevant engine components, and potentially attending any tear-down inspection of the engine."

The pilot and crew of the Qantas flight forced into an emergency landing have been hailed for safely bringing the flight back down to Sydney Airport.

“Engine failures are extremely rare but Qantas pilots are exceptionally well trained to handle them with the utmost professionalism,”Captain Steve Cornell of the Australian and International Pilots Association said.

“In this instance the crew displayed remarkable skill, expertise, and composure in returning safely to Sydney and protecting everyone on board."

A passenger onboard the Qantas flight that made an emergency landing as a grass fire burned at Sydney Airport says it was his "scariest" flight in 40 years of flying.

“I've flown for 40 years and been on hundreds of flights and that was the scariest one I've been on,” ABC journalist Mark Willacy told the public broadcaster.

“When [the plane] couldn't seem to take the altitude that a normal flight would … that was the most frightening moment for me.”

He said an off-duty pilot on the flight rushed to help the pilot and kept them updated on the state of the damaged engine.

The large plume of smoke from the airport fire continues to drift across Sydney's east. Yahoo News Editor Courtney Greatrex said she could smell the fire from Maroubra, 6km away. She said the smell drifting into her home office was "overwhelming".

Others have shared photos of the fire, visible from inner-city Sydney.

Qantas has confirmed one of its planes suffered suspected engine failure at the time a grass fire began at Sydney Airport.

“One of our flights to Brisbane [QF520 experienced a suspected engine failure after take-off from Sydney Airport this afternoon. After circling for a short period of time, the aircraft landed safely at Sydney Airport," Qantas Chief Pilot Captain Richard Tobiano said.

“Our pilots are highly trained to handle situations like this and the aircraft landed safely after the appropriate procedures were conducted.

“We understand this would have been a distressing experience for customers and we will be contacting all customers this afternoon to provide support."

There are plenty of striking images and videos shared of the fire across social media this afternoon, including the X post below showing a passenger arriving at the airport filming from his window.

Another image below shows the airport from what appears to be the Brighton-Le-Sands area.

A fire burning next to Sydney Airport was reportedly started by an engine explosion on a Qantas flight bound for Brisbane, The Australian understands.

Sydney Airport is expected to address the incident shortly.

A grass fire is burning next to Sydney Airport, with fire crews rushing to extinguish the blaze. It is understood several incoming flights have been diverted as a result.

Dramatic images from surrounding suburbs shared online show a large plume of smoke billowing into the sky as planes sit on the tarmac.

Fire and Rescue NSW said the grass fire was next to the third runway, with witnesses watching from a distance initially fearing a plane was on fire. The fire is near Sir Joseph Banks Park in neighbouring Botany.

Aviation Rescue and Firefighting are leading the operation to extinguish the fire.

Temperatures at the airport have reached 28C with windy conditions. The area is subject to a total fire ban today.

In some developing news now, there are delays at airports across the country after a technical outage caused widespread disruption.

The issue has impacted SmartGate kiosks, which scan a passenger's face and passport, affecting both departures and arrivals. An Australian Border Force spokesperson told the ABC it is currently working on a fix.

Many thought Donald Trump wouldn't return after his 2020 election defeat, but he has now remarkably won a second US election and will return to the White House after four years away.

US presidents are capped at two four-year terms, thanks to the 22nd Amendment to the US constitution. But because Trump's terms haven't been back-to-back, it has some people wondering if he would be allowed a third when he will be 82 years old.

Well the short answer is no, he won't be able to. The fact that Trump's two terms will be non-consecutive makes no difference – as the law stands, he cannot be elected president more than twice.

But there is one wildly unlikely scenario that would allow him to, and that is explored by Yahoo UK here.

As new Broncos coach Michael Maguire looks to get to grips with his squad after a disappointing season, there's suggestion players will be made to live near the club's headquarters to put an end to excessive travelling.

A Broncos staffer previously told the Courier Mail players commuting from the Gold Coast to Brisbane had become a "nightmare". Currently Reece Walsh and Patrick Carrigan are making the 160km round trip daily.

So what do you think? Should players be able to live where they want if they're turning up on time? Or should everyone be close by? Have your say below.

"Severe" heatwave warnings are in place as blistering spring conditions sweep large parts of the country this weekend.

Swathes of outback Queensland, from the Gulf Country to northern NSW, are being warned by the Bureau of Meteorology to expect severe heatwave conditions across the weekend, while Sydney and Brisbane are expected to top 30C from today.

Queensland's Longreach in the state's centre is set to reach a scorching 44C on Saturday.

A warning for severe heatwave conditions is also in place over the weekend in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, from the Kimberley, across Darwin and to the border.

Read more here.

Three people have been charged in connection with the death of Liam Payne, according to authorities in Argentina.

An official statement from the public prosecutor stated three people were arrested and charged with “abandonment of a person followed by death, supply and facilitation of narcotics.”

According to Sky News, one of the accused “accompanied the artist on a daily basis” during his stay in Argentina, and another was a hotel employee. The third allegedly supplied drugs.

Read more here.