On 17 July 2008, an Airbus Industrie A330-300 (Airbus) aircraft was being operated on a scheduled international passenger service from Sydney, NSW to Melbourne, Vic. with 13 crew and 163 passengers. The aircraft commenced a take-off without having received a take-off clearance by Air Traffic Control. At the same time, a Boeing 737 had been cleared to cross the same runway. The tower controller advised the flight crew of the Airbus that they had not been cleared for take-off, and they discontinued the take-off.
The safety issue identified as a result of this investigation related to the potential confusion arising from the use of a combined line-up and wait instruction with a departure instruction. Airservices Australia has committed to undertake a review of this procedure.