What happened
On 18 June 2025 at approximately 1845 Eastern Standard Time, a Boeing 737 was parked at gate 82 at Brisbane International Airport Terminal, Queensland, with the crew preparing the aircraft for disembarkation.
After the wheels were chocked and the park brake was released, the 2 flight crew members noticed that the aerobridge was approaching the aircraft from a high angle and further towards the nose of the aircraft than usual. The captain pressed the ground call switch on board, in an attempt to contact the engineer or other ground staff to advise them of their urgent concern that the aerobridge was likely going to impact the aircraft. As the engineer was no longer in the vicinity, they were unable to make contact before the aerobridge collided with the first officer’s windscreen, shattering the glass (Figure 1 left and right). Although the glass fragments landed on the first officer, they were uninjured in the incident. The flight crew reported that the ‘jolt of the impact was significant’, however, no passengers or cabin crew were injured.
Figure 1: Aerobridge position and impact with aircraft
Source: Operator
The aircraft operator provided the ATSB with images showing the aerobridge home position (Figure 2) and the aerobridge docked to a Boeing 737 (Figure 3). The bridge must be moved approximately 30 metres laterally from the home position and lowered to gain visibility of the aircraft prior to forward movement.
Figure 2: Aerobridge home position
Source: Operator
Figure 3: Aerobridge docked to a Boeing 737 aircraft
Source: Operator
The aircraft operator is conducting an internal investigation to determine factors that may have influenced the incident.
The ATSB notes that a second ground handling incident involving a different airline occurred at Brisbane International Airport Terminal, gate 82 on 26 July 2025 in which an aerobridge collided with a parked Boeing 737 during passenger disembarkation.
Safety message
This incident highlights that when in close proximity to an aircraft, the aerobridge must be moved with clear visual reference to the aircraft to prevent damage or injury.
About this report
Decisions regarding whether to conduct an investigation, and the scope of an investigation, are based on many factors, including the level of safety benefit likely to be obtained from an investigation. For this occurrence, no investigation has been conducted and the ATSB did not verify the accuracy of the information. A brief description has been written using information supplied in the notification and any follow-up information in order to produce a short summary report, and allow for greater industry awareness of potential safety issues and possible safety actions.