Air bridge collapses after storm water short-circuits control box

Water entered the control box of an air bridge at the Hong Kong International Airport after being affected by super typhoon Saola and causing a short circuit. The air bridge collapsed on Monday night.

The Airport Authority said a control box of the bridge's safety facility was flooded and short-circuited, triggering safety action and taking the bridge lower to the ground slowly.

The bridge has returned to its normal position for further maintenance, it said.

The authority said on Monday the air bridge attached to the airport's T1 Midfield Concourse unexpectedly lowered to the ground at about 8 pm.

Firefighters were called to the scene along with four ambulances. After a thorough search and rescue operation, it was confirmed that no one was trapped on the air bridge and evacuation was not needed.

The authority later said the air bridge was out of service and no individuals were on it at the time of the incident. The bridge also did not sustain significant damage and no one was injured.

The authority then dispatched personnel to investigate the cause of the incident and inspect the bridge.

The collapse was first suspected to be caused by hydraulic issues.

Initial investigation later showed that because of super typhoon Saola, the control box of the safety facilities on the air bridge were short-circuited due to water flooding in.

The short circuit triggered a safety mechanism that slowly descended the air bridge to the ground, the authority said yesterday, adding that the bridge had since been restored to its normal position for further checking.

The authority said it had inspected all other air bridges with similar designs overnight, which were all on the Midfield Concourse, and no issues were discovered.

The authority also said that due to the reduced passenger volume during the pandemic, the Midfield Concourse had been closed and the authority was conducting equipment testing at the site. "As a result, the air bridge has yet to be reopened for passenger use and the incident has not affected the airport's operations," it said.