16 hours in the air Tire parts puncture wing of Boeing aircraft

During take-off in Rome, part of a tire came off a Boeing aircraft. The passengers and crew on the Qantas flight only noticed the damage after landing in Australia.

Passengers and crew on an Australian airline Qantas flight from Rome to Perth were in the air for almost 16 hours with a damaged wing - without realizing it.

As the Australian airline explained on Monday, the incident occurred on August 24. During take-off of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the Italian capital, a part of a tire came loose and damaged the underside of the right wing, according to investigations.

The crew of the aircraft only noticed the damage to the tire and wing after landing on the west coast of Australia - almost 16 hours after take-off. "We apologize to our passengers for the inconvenience and thank them for their understanding," explained a spokesperson for the airline.