THE SYDNEY Swans might be flying on the field, but they have hit some unexpected drama off it after their Thursday afternoon flight to Melbourne was cancelled due to a brake problem.

 

AFL.com.au understands that the Swans' Virgin Australia flight VA858 was set for take-off at Sydney Airport when the plane had to turn back to the terminal after the problem struck.

 

A passenger on the flight told AFL.com.au a fire truck was called as a precaution and all passengers had to disembark once the plane returned to the terminal.

 

The flight has been cancelled according to the Virgin Australia website, however the Swans expect to arrive on another flight after 4pm.

 

The Swans, who are riding high on an eight-game winning streak, are travelling to Melbourne to face Richmond at the MCG on Friday night.

"We sincerely apologise to our customers for the inconvenience," a Virgin Australia spokesperson told AFL.com.au.  

"Safety is our highest priority.

"We ensured the players travelled on the next available flight."