Qantas flight halted just before takeoff as wing damage spotted

A NEW Zealand-bound Qantas flight had to be aborted minutes before takeoff when wing damage was discovered by an engineer at Sydney airport today

The Christchurch-bound Qantas 747-300 was taxiing towards the runway at 9.15am (AEST) when an engineer noticed damage to its right wing flap.

The engineer notified the pilot, who aborted the flight.

Qantas said all 213 passengers on the plane have been given accommodation and meal vouchers, and booked on another flight tomorrow.

The damage was being assessed, a spokeswoman for the airline said.

The aborted flight is the latest mishap in recent months to plague the flying kangaroo.

In July a Qantas 747 had its belly torn open when an oxygen tank exploded on a flight over Manila, sparking an Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation.

And in October a Qantas plane suffered a dramatic midair plunge on a flight from Singapore to Perth, where the plane fell 200m in 20 seconds, hurling unrestrained passengers around the cabin.

About 40 passengers were taken to hospital after the plane made an emergency landing in Learmonth, near Exmouth in Western Australia's north.

Grey Nicole starts tongues wagging

There's no mistaking it, the healthy regrowth of pale grey hair sprouting from Nicole Kidman's perfectly formed crown.

Just what it's doing there is the puzzling question. It's not like a Hollywood star to miss a hair appointment. That's why New Zealand stylists fear Kidman is leading a new trend - growing old gracefully.

While increasing numbers of New Zealand women fork out thousands of dollars a year at their hairdressers to keep any sign of advancing years showing in their hairlines, the glamorous Australian actress, 41, has twice showed her greying locks to the world in the past month.

Our style gurus and hairdressers are speculating that Kidman has stopped dyeing her hair because she may be pregnant with a second baby. The jury is still out on whether hair dye can harm a foetus but many women play it safe while they are pregnant.

If Kidman is not pregnant, the dangerous alternative - that such a fashion icon would rather save money at the salon or has decided to set a new Hollywood trend and stop fighting the inevitable - is too dreadful for them to think about.

The thought of every 40-something Kiwi woman cutting back on her monthly touch-ups could be the last thing the nation's economy needs.

Kidman attended the Beverly Hills Elle magazine party in October, then stepped out in Sydney last week to promote her new film, Australia, each time sporting a halo of grey.

But style guru Suzanne Winterflood doesn't think it works for her at all.

"It's not like Nicole has forgotten to get her roots touched up," Winterflood said.

"Grey hair goes with a face which shows a life that has been lived well and it's a celebration of that. But that is not the case with her, as everything about her is holding back time. I don't think it works at all."

Kidman, who gave birth to her daughter Sunday Rose in July, has recently been seen with a protective hand over her stomach, and by avoiding the hair dye as many expectant mothers do, she has sparked rumours that she could be pregnant again.

Kidman has laughed off the rumours, but Winterflood said: "It is possible. It is grabbing a lot of attention and she'd know it would do. When Jennifer Lopez was first pregnant she had grey roots."

There are many women who prefer to let their natural colour show through - such as Dame Judi Dench.

But hairdresser-to-the-stars Jules Armishaw revealed she would never let her clients loose on the red carpet with roots showing.

Top stylist Rodney Wayne says the fashion nowadays is for a more natural look. He said: "I have to say in some shots it looks quite elegant, but in others it does look like a regrowth needing attention."