North Runway reopens after 8 hours of closure due to aircraft tire burst

The North Runway at Hong Kong International Airport has resumed operation after being temporarily closed for more than 8 hours on Monday as a damaged freighter delayed over 180 flights.

The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) said the Atlas Air cargo plane 5Y4304 made an emergency return to the airport after taking off at around 4 am. The cargo plane burst a tire and reported an issue with the hydraulic system after it landed and was staged on the North Runway since 7.12 am.

None of the five crew members on board was injured. However, due to the hydraulic system failure and the tire replacement work, the emergency handling took longer than expected and the North Runway could only be reopened at 3.45 pm, AAHK said.

AAHK noted that a total of 186 flights were delayed after one of the two runways closed. It added that flight disruption is still expected due to backlog schedules, though the North Runway has reopened. 

In addition, as the cargo flight took off from the South Runway this morning, AAHK also received a report that suspected tire fragments were found on the runway. 

An emergency clearance was arranged and other flights have to be land and take off on the North Runway for nearly two hours. The clearance work was concluded at about 6.20 am.

AAHK said it is highly concerned about the incident and will require the U.S.-headquartered Atlas Air to submit a report to the Authority and Civil Aviation Department as mandated by set procedures.