Damaged Cargo Plane Makes Emergency Landing
A Boeing 747 cargo freighter belonging to the Atlas Air flies into the clouds after lifting off from Hong Kong International Airport, on 23 October 2017. 186 flights were delayed on Monday after an Alaska Air cargo freighter made an emergency return to the airport.
One of Hong Kong International Airport's runways has reopened after earlier being forced to halt operations when a cargo flight made an emergency return on Monday morning, airport authorities said.
According to Airport Authority Honk Kong (AAHK), Atlas Air freighter 5Y4304 requested a return at around 6 a.m. local time, returning to the north runway where upon landing, the plane was found to have a burst tire and a hydraulics system failure.
"None of the five crew members on board was injured. All related parties at HKIA immediately arranged personnel for emergency response, including cargo offload and tire replacement.
"As the hydraulic system of the freighter had broken down, the emergency handling took longer than expected," said AAHK in a statement.
"AAHK is highly concerned about the incident and will require the airline to submit a report to AAHK and Civil Aviation Department as mandated by set procedures," the statement added.
186 flights were delayed as a result of the incident.
Newsweek has contacted the AAHK and Atlas Air for comment.
According to multiple flight trackers, the freighter in question was a Boeing 747-400 model.
Newsweek emailed Boeing for comment on this story.
Boeing, a leading global aerospace company, has faced significant challenges and negative headlines over the past year, stemming from recurring safety and quality control issues.
Several whistleblowers have also made accusations against the company over its safety practices. Two whistleblowers have since died, sparking conspiracy theories. However, there was no evidence of foul-play in either incident.
Last week, a Boeing flight was grounded after experiencing a "Dutch Roll" at 32,000 feet. An investigation after the plane landed found damage to the standby Power Control Unit.
On Saturday, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) confirmed to Newsweek that it would investigate a recent near-disaster involving a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 that reportedly plummeted withing 400 feet of the Pacific Ocean's surface.
In April, a poll conducted exclusively for Newsweek found that three in four millennials' confidence in flying had been shaken by the allegations surrounding Boeing's safety practices.
Separate polling found that more than half (50.22 percent) of American flyers were willing to pay between $50 to $150 more for tickets on aircraft they believed were safer than Boeing's. 19.6 percent said they would pay between $151 and $250.
In January, more than 170 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircrafts were ordered grounded by the FAA after an Alaska Airlines flight experienced a mid-flight blowout.
Update, 6/17/24, 6:50 a.m. ET: This article was updated with new information.
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