Bumpy ride? Airbus from Hong Kong lands in London with a square tyre

Aviation experts are scratching their heads at how a British Airways A380-800 landed in London last week with a square-shaped flat tyre after a 13-hour flight from Hong Kong.

The airline’s engineers confirmed that a photo of the square tyre that went viral on the internet was genuine, and experts contacted by British media described it as “curious” and “a bit mysterious”.

In Hong Kong, aircraft maintenance expert Andrew Gridley, associate director of the Polytechnic University Industrial Centre, said: “It does look odd.

“There are a few possible reasons but the most probable is that loss of pressure in the tyre at high altitude would create a partial vacuum in the tyre as it descended into London.

“The tyre would then collapse under the increase in atmospheric pressure during the descent. In this case, four quadrants collapsed casing the square profile.”

According to British media reports, the captain of the Airbus A380 received a loss of tyre pressure warning on take-off. But the crew decided to continue the flight and reportedly called ahead to London to request a tow tug just in case the aircraft could not taxi to the gate under its own power.