Hong Kong aviation authorities took 24 minutes to tell planes of emergency runway closure

Hong Kong aviation authorities took about 24 minutes to tell pilots of departing and landing flights that an airport runway was closed due to a cargo plane bursting a tyre, only sharing further details more than an hour after sending the initial warning. Monday’s incident involving Atlas Air cargo flight 5Y4304 resulted in the closure of the city airport’s north runway, one of only two that is currently operational, for more than eight hours and caused delays for about 450 flights. It also raised questions about the facility’s ability to effectively handle emergencies. The Civil Aviation Department told the Post on Wednesday that it began telling aircrew at 7.36am, about 24 minutes after the incident, using an automated information dissemination system to warn pilots of departing and landing flights. The department then gathered information from the Airport Authority and other relevant parties before providing an update at 8.53am and confirming the condition of the closed runway, it added. The Anchorage-bound cargo flight requested permission to make an emergency return at around 6am on Monday, two hours after it had departed Hong Kong. The Boeing 747 freighter burst a tyre as it landed at 7.12am, with airport staff dispatched to help unload its cargo and replace its tyres. The plane was later moved from the runway at around 3.15pm, with the landing strip reopening 30 minutes later. Ng Kam-hung, an assistant professor at Polytechnic University’s department of aeronautical and aviation engineering, said the time frame seemed reasonable given authorities also needed time to perform an on-site investigation.<br/>