An investigation is continuing into a fire at the Qantas domestic terminal at Melbourne Airport on Friday night, which led to disruptions for thousands of passengers.
Terminal 1 had to be evacuated, and planes were brought to a standstill on the tarmac after a fire broke out around 7:20pm.
Fire Rescue Victoria and the airport’s aviation teams were called to the terminal to put out the blaze, which was not considered suspicious.
Victoria Police said nobody was injured.
No details have been released about the cause of the fire or where exactly it happened in the terminal.
The evacuation of the terminal caused the cancellation of a number of flights on Friday night. (ABC News: Kala Mason)
A Melbourne Airport spokesperson said the fire was quickly extinguished and the cause was being investigated.
“Emergency services completed a full assessment of the terminal and, when it was deemed safe, we worked to support passengers to return to the terminal and recommence operations,” the spokesperson said.
“The safety of passengers and staff was our top priority throughout this incident, and we appreciate the patience and cooperation shown by travellers.Â
“Passengers travelling on Qantas domestic services are advised to check directly with the airline for the latest updates on their flight.”
A number of planes were banked up on the tarmac at Melbourne Airport on Friday night. (ABC News: Craig Dixon)
Some passengers waited at Melbourne Airport for five hours to try to secure replacement flights or accommodation.
One man told the ABC on Friday night it was the culmination of a day of travel chaos.
“I was booked on a flight with Virgin and they cancelled, so they very kindly re-booked me with Qantas for this evening, and now it’s been cancelled,” he said.
“Apparently, I finally have a flight with Jetstar back to Launceston tomorrow morning at 7:20am.”
The ABC can confirm that flight was cancelled on Saturday morning due to the global issues with Airbus A320 planes.
This man was affected by Virgin, Qantas and Jetstar flight cancellations within a 24-hour period. (ABC News)
Another passenger said she was stuck on a plane on the tarmac for two-and-a-half hours due to the terminal fire.
“It’s very frustrating when no-one knows what’s happening, and obviously it’s very hard with a baby,” she said.
“We actually had a flight to catch, and we missed it because of the incident.”