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A Cathay Pacific A330 aircraft, flight CX 780, arriving from Surabaya, Indonesia, made an emergency landing at the Hong Kong International Airport at about 1.45pm today (April 13) due to a suspected engine problem.
Six aircraft tyres blew out after landing. An emergency evacuation of passengers was initiated after the aircraft landed on the North runway. There were 309 passengers and 13 crew members on board. During the evacuation, eight passengers sustained injuries and were sent to hospital for medical treatment.
The Civil Aviation Department is conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the serious incident and will invite the participation of the accident investigation authorities of France and the United Kingdom where the Airbus aircraft and the associated engines respectively were manufactured. The preliminary report will be released in about one month's time.
With the efficient co-operation of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, the Fire Services Department, the Hong Kong Police, the Immigration Department, Cathay Pacific, the Civil Aviation Department and the other organisations, the North runway resumed normal operation at 4.05pm. A total of 125 flights operated from the South runway for landing and take-off. Only 35 flights suffered minor delays during the closure of the North runway.
Ends/Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Issued at HKT 19:53
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