Two ground personnel dead as cargo jet veers off Hong Kong runway into sea
Emirates flight EK9788 from Dubai hits airport patrol vehicle after runway excursion on October 20 morning; four crew members survive
In yet another aviation disaster in 2025, a cargo jet on Monday (October 20) slid off a runway at Hong Kong International Airport and ended up in the nearby sea, resulting in deaths of two ground personnel.
The incident happened around 3.50 am local time (1.20 am IST) when Emirates Flight EK9788 skidded off the runway and rammed into an airport patrol vehicle. Both persons inside the vehicle were killed in the impact while four crew members on the plane survived. An investigation was launched soon as doubts were raised over the path the jet took while landing.
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Airport sources said they shared correct instructions to the plane and there are also signs on the runway to guide the pilots, a BBC report said. Yet, the accident happened.
Plane hit vehicle plying at 'safe distance'
The BBC report cited airport operations Executive Director Steven Yiu as saying that the patrol vehicle was travelling outside the runway’s fencing “at a safe distance” but the plane, which got careened off, crashed through the fencing and hit the vehicle. It also fell into the water. Bodies of the vehicle’s driver and the passenger were later fished out. They were aged 30 and 41 with decent years of experience, official sources said.
Yiu, who attended a press conference hours after the incident, said the Boeing 747-481 freighter was not supposed to head towards the sea. He also added that no distress signal was sent out from the aircraft while it landed.
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Plane damaged, says Emirates
Sources in the Emirates said the jet was damaged on landing and confirmed that the crew members were safe. The cargo jet was on wet lease and operated by Turkey’s ACT Airlines. Under a wet lease, one carrier gives aircraft, crew and insurance to another.
Pictures of the broken ill-fated plane, with part of the fuselage submerged in the sea, were on circulation.
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The Hong Kong International Airport is one of the busiest aviation hubs in the world that handles several thousand of flights every year. While the airport has maintained a good safety standard, a handful of disasters over the last few decades have marred the reputation.