By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-03-31 11:56:30 | Updated at 2025-04-02 02:29:10
1 day ago
Two cargo planes flew just 100 feet vertically from one another after being cleared for take off 13 seconds apart at Hong Kong International Airport, a preliminary investigation by an independent civil aviation authority has found.
The Civil Aviation Department also published the results of its initial investigation on Monday, which found air traffic control staff’s non-compliance with established procedures to be the primary cause of the planes ending up so close together in the skies above Hong Kong.
The Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA), an independent investigation body under the Transport and Logistics Bureau, said the incident involving an MNG Airlines Airbus A330 and a Silk Way West Airlines Boeing 777 was “serious”.
Its report, also released on Monday, showed that the Airbus plane was cleared for take-off on the central runway at 6.59am on the morning of February 27 after receiving instructions from staff in the north control tower. The aircraft, bound for Turkmenistan, was carrying five people.
Just 13 seconds later, the Boeing freighter was asked to take off on the southern runway by the south control tower. It also carried a crew of five and was heading to Azerbaijan.
The two planes shared a converging departure track, which normally required at least a three-minute separation in between take-off, according to Hong Kong’s air traffic control procedures.
