Hong Kong aviation authorities took approximately 24 minutes to notify pilots about the closure of an airport runway following a cargo plane’s tyre burst incident, with comprehensive details only emerging over an hour later.
The incident, which occurred on Monday, involved Atlas Air cargo flight 5Y4304 and led to the shutdown of the city’s north runway—one of only two operational runways—for more than eight hours, resulting in delays for around 450 flights.
This delay has raised concerns about the airport’s capability to manage emergencies efficiently.
The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) informed the Post on Wednesday that notifications to aircrew began at 7:36 a.m., 24 minutes after the tyre burst incident. These initial warnings were disseminated through an automated information system to alert pilots of both departing and landing flights.
Subsequently, the CAD collected further details from the Airport Authority and other relevant parties, providing a more detailed update at 8:53 a.m. which confirmed the condition of the closed runway.
The Anchorage-bound cargo flight had requested emergency return clearance at approximately 6 a.m. on Monday, two hours after its departure from Hong Kong. Fortunately, none of the aircraft’s five crew members were injured during the incident.
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