Aircraft wreckage removal targeted within week following fatal airport incident

The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) is coordinating the removal operation and is targeting to remove the aircraft wreckage from the sea within a week to facilitate the search for the black box and evidence.

This came after the incident happened on Monday (Oct 20) when a Turkey-based ACT Airlines' cargo plane veered off the North Runway at the Hong Kong International Airport upon landing and collided with a security patrol vehicle. Both the aircraft and the vehicle fell into the sea, resulting in two deaths.

The temporarily closed North Runway has been reopened at around 4.20pm on Tuesday and put on standby mode to facilitate the removal of the aircraft from the sea.

The essential restoration work of the North Runway and its related facilities -- including replacing the damaged fences on the side of the runway, runway lights and other facilities, as well as repairing and clearing the runway’s surface -- were completed early Tuesday morning.

AAHK inspected the site with the Civil Aviation Department and confirmed the runway is safe for operations and reopening.

AAHK said in a statement it is contacting the aircraft’s owner and preparing the necessary equipment, such as large cranes and vessels.