A cargo plane veered off the runway during landing at Hong Kong International Airport early Monday, colliding with a security patrol vehicle and plunging into the sea, killing two men in the car, officials confirmed.
The Boeing aircraft, operated under a wet lease by Turkey-based ACT Airlines for Emirates, had arrived from Dubai when it overshot the north runway at around 4:00 a.m. local time (2000 GMT Sunday). It broke through a perimeter fence and skidded into the adjacent waters bordering the airport, one of the world’s busiest cargo hubs.
Photos from the scene showed the aircraft partially submerged, with an emergency evacuation slide deployed. The incident is being described as one of the most serious at the airport since it opened in 1998.
Steven Yiu, Executive Director of Airport Operations for the Airport Authority Hong Kong, said the weather and runway conditions were “normal” at the time of the incident.
“It was the aircraft that veered off the runway and struck a patrol vehicle outside the fence,” Yiu said. “The vehicle was not on the runway.”
Both occupants of the patrol car were pulled from the submerged vehicle by divers just five metres from the shore. One man, aged 30, was declared dead at the scene. The second, 41, died later in hospital.
No cargo was onboard at the time, and all crew members are safe, Emirates confirmed in a statement.
No emergency signal sent
Airport officials said the aircraft did not issue any emergency alert and failed to respond to radio calls. A diagram released by authorities shows the plane making an abrupt left turn halfway down the runway before crashing through the barrier.
The north runway was temporarily closed for investigations, while the other two runways remained operational. Authorities say there was minimal disruption to airport services.
The Transport and Logistics Bureau expressed “deep concern” and said Hong Kong’s Air Accident Investigation Authority had launched an official probe. Police added that they were not ruling out a criminal investigation.
Emergency response units, including helicopters from the Government Flying Service and rescue vessels from the Fire Services Department, were deployed to the scene.
Hong Kong began operations on its third runway in November 2024 as part of an HK$142 billion ($18 billion) expansion project aimed at cementing the city’s status as a global aviation hub.
AFP
