Hong Kong Probes Atlas Air Emergency Landing, Causes 8-Hour Runway Shutdown

Authorities in Hong Kong are looking into why an Atlas Air freighter aircraft's landing gear failed during an emergency landing, causing one runway to close for eight hours and causing 450 flights to be delayed. An aviation database states that Nippon Cargo Airlines is the owner of the unmarked cargo jet and that it is supplied to Atlas Air, which handles the crewing, maintenance, and insurance. According to the South China Morning Post, local authorities are demanding that the airport reevaluate its backup plans for situations such to this and are wondering why it took so long to remove the downed cargo jet from the runway. The Atlas Air-operated Boeing 747-400 cargo plane made a second landing back at Hong Kong International Airport on Monday morning, approximately two hours after it took off, when the crew discovered a hydraulic system malfunction that prevented the landing gear from retracting. When the aircraft landed on the north runway, it sustained damage to the wheel rims and two burst tyres. The aircraft was headed for Chicago, with a maintenance stop scheduled in Anchorage, Alaska. It was not functional for eight hours. All five crew members were unharmed. In addition, numerous runway pavement surfaces and airport ground light fixtures sustained damage that needed immediate attention. To recover the aircraft and fix the runway, it was necessary to close the North Runway. The 330-ton aeroplane had to be raised during the rescue operation to replace its tyres. First, all cargo needed to be offloaded. The airport authority stated in an email that significant wheel damage and significant hydraulic leaks from the aircraft body hindered the lifting procedure, lengthening the time it took to change the tyres and tow the aircraft off the runway. There are two runways in use at Hong Kong Airport. According to the transcript of a press conference covering various themes, John Lee, the chief executive of the city, stated that the airport followed protocols for safely removing the aircraft, which involved first removing the cargo and replacing a set of tyres. Atlas Air, based in New York, will have to provide a report regarding the hydraulic system failure to the airport and the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department. To conclude what steps the airline, the airport, or other responders can take in the event of such situations in the future, Lee stated that authorities will carefully analyse the report. "On June 17, the pilots of Atlas Air