Passengers and pilots on a Qantas flight from Rome flew for more than 16 hours and landed without realizing that part of their plane's tire had come off and punctured the wing, AFP reported.
The Australian airline said the incident happened on August 24 on a flight from Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Airport en route to Australia's west coast.
During takeoff in Rome, the tread separated from the tire and damaged the lower part of the right wing of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The crew only noticed the tire and wing damage after the plane landed in Perth almost 16 hours later.
"We apologize to passengers for the inconvenience and thank them for their understanding," a Qantas spokesman said. | BGNES
