Jetstar plane taxis with open cargo door at Sydney Airport

A Jetstar flight out of Sydney has begun rolling toward takeoff with a cargo door still open.

The incident happened with a flight to the northern NSW town of Ballina from Sydney Airport on Tuesday morning.

Low-quality footage of the incident has been circulating, showing a cargo door beyond the plane’s right side wing is open as the plane rolls across the tarmac.

Jetstar has acknowledged the incident and says it is investigating.

“We are currently investigating how this could have happened and are working with our ground handler to ensure it does not happen again,” the airline said in a statement.

A Jetstar flight in Sydney was spotted taxiing with door open.

“A rear cargo door was left open after the door was unlocked to add a piece of oversized luggage to the hold.

“After the aircraft pushed back for departure, our pilots received a notification that the cargo door was open and returned to the bay. There was no safety risk at any stage, multiple system safeguards ensure an aircraft cannot takeoff with a cargo door open.”

Swissport is one of the companies that does baggage handling for Qantas and Jetstar after Qantas sacked ground crews in 2020, a move that was ultimately ruled illegal.

The Transport Workers’ Union claims Tuesday’s incident with the cargo door was a result of overworked Swissport staff.

Asked about staffing levels at Sydney Airport, a Swissport Asia Pacific spokesperson said numbers were “strong”.

“Swissport is aware of the incident and a full investigation is currently under way,” they said.

“Our workforce capacity in Sydney is strong.”

Swissport has 65,000 staff at 300 airports in 45 countries.

TWU national secretary Michael Kaine said the Swissport workers were overworked and a majority had reported being pushed to get jobs done in unsafe conditions.

“They’re under so much time pressure. They’re poorly paid, highly casualised and all of that adds up to a deadly recipe,” he told Nine News.

“This is horrific. This is what occurs when you have a workforce that is stretched beyond human limits.”

The union says a survey of 300 Swissport workers this year found 73 per cent say they have been pressured to work unsafely.

Swissport picked up the contract with Jetstar after Jetstar’s parent company Qantas sacked 1820 ground crew workers in 2020.

The Federal Court found that decision to be illegal, and in August this year fined Qantas $90m. The airline is also required to pay $120m in compensation to impacted workers.

“The decision to outsource five years ago, particularly during such an uncertain time, caused genuine hardship for many of our former team and their families,” Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson said when the fine was handed down.