Overview

• A Virgin Australia Boeing 737 detached from its tug during a late‐night transfer to a maintenance hangar at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport, colliding with the vehicle and slicing a large tear into the fuselage.
• Melbourne Airport and airline spokespeople confirmed there were no passengers on board and no injuries to ground staff.
• Maintenance crews applied temporary repairs at the scene to seal the damage ahead of a thorough structural assessment.
• Melbourne Airport authorities and Virgin Australia have opened a formal inquiry into the ground‐handling procedures that led to the tug disconnect.
• Virgin Australia stated that all scheduled flights will proceed as planned with no expected disruptions following the incident.