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A Qantas Dash-8 aircraft similar to the one pictured exceeded its maximum takeoff weight when it departed Sydney early on Wednesday.Credit:Alamy

However,staff were shocked to discover that a larger amount of freight than expected had been loaded into the rear hold of the plane,resulting in it breaching its maximum take-off weight by about 160 kilograms when it departed Sydney Airport.

Qantas confirmed that it was investigating how freight was “incorrectly loaded” onto the Dash-8,which has since been cleared to re-enter service.

“The flight operated normally and landed safely and without incident,” it said,adding that the safety of the flight was not compromised.

Mick Quinn,a former head of safety at Emirates and an ex-manager of air-safety investigation at Qantas,said overloading or incorrect loading of cargo in the wrong positions affects an aircraft’s centre of gravity and raised the risk of flight control difficulties.

The QantasLink aircraft was flying to Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea.Credit:iStock

“While aircraft are designed to have safety margins that will tolerate minor deviations in weight and balance,any deviation may produce a structural or aerodynamic risk,” he said.

Quinn,a former deputy CEO of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA),said runway length,temperature and wind direction were also among conditions that contribute to critical calculations of speed and safe flights.

“There have been some serious incidents over the years involving incorrect weight and balance. It’s an issue that is reported on annually in industry accident summaries and is constantly monitored and addressed,” he said.

Quinn said every aircraft was sensitive to weight and balance limitations,no matter how big or small,and multiple controls were usually in place to ensure loading was accurate and met operational requirements.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) confirmed that it had been notified of a “potential aircraft loading incident” involving a Dash-8 passenger.

“The ATSB is currently gathering further information to inform a decision on any investigation,” a spokesman said.

CASA said it was aware of the incident,which had been “reported through the appropriate safety channels”.

Qantas has been under fire from unions for outsourcing international ground handling in Sydney,Melbourne and Brisbane to Dubai-based airport services company Dnata in 2020 after axing about 1700 jobs.

However,QantasLink’s ground handling is managed in-house by Qantas Ground Services.

Following a spate of customer service problems,Qantas chief executiveAlan Joyce apologised recently to customers for widespread delays,cancellations of flights and lost baggage,which he said were caused by staff shortages. The airline laid off about 8000 employees – close to a third of its workforce – when the pandemic forced it to ground its operations.

CASA is also undertaking an industry-wide surveillance campaign to examine areas such as ground handling,cabin safety and dangerous goods in response to the ramp-up of airline operations following the pandemic.

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