Attempted Finnair take-off from HK taxiway triggers investigation

An investigation was launched by Hong Kong aviation officials after a Finnair passenger plane attempted to take off from a taxiway rather than a runway at Chek Lap Kok.

The Airbus A340-300, carrying 260 passengers and 14 crew bound for Helsinki, began its take-off roll down the taxiway, parallel to the runway, early last Saturday and was spotted by an air traffic controller.

'The air traffic controller alerted the pilot immediately and the aircraft was stopped as soon as the aircraft began to move,' a spokeswoman for the Civil Aviation Department said. 'There was no danger to the aircraft or the passengers at any point.'

An investigation was under way 'to identify the factors which might have led to the incident'.

Finnair said it was 'giving all possible help to official investigators' and no disciplinary action was taken as investigations by Hong Kong authorities and Finland's Accident Investigation Board were under way.

Last week's incident follows one in September 2008 when a Hong Kong Airlines jet bound for South Korea tried to take off from a taxiway rather than a runway. In a separate case in January, another Hong Kong Airlines plane strayed onto an active runway, forcing a Cathay Pacific jet to abandon take-off.

The two incidents raised concerns over whether runway and taxiway markings at Chek Lap Kok were clear enough for pilots.