Flight from Japan to Hong Kong forced into emergency landing
Government says cabin of Airbus A330 suddenly depressurised, according to local media
A flight from Japan to Hong Kong was forced to turn around and make an emergency landing at the airport it had taken off from on Monday afternoon, after experiencing “technical problems”.
None of the 223 passengers and 12 crew on board were injured.
Hong Kong Airlines flight HX693 left New Chitose Airport, Sapporo, at about 5pm local time – one hour late – and reached 38,000 feet about 25 minutes later.
But it dropped to 10,000 feet over the next eight minutes, before making a U-turn over the sea between Japan and the Korean peninsula.
It made the emergency landing back at New Chitose at 6.36pm local time.
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Quoting the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, local media reported that the cabin of the Airbus A330 had suddenly depressurised.
The airline would only confirm the incident, citing a technical problem after take-off, insisting the U-turn was a “precautionary measure”.
“The safety of Hong Kong Airlines’ passengers and staff is always our top priority. The aircraft is currently undergoing troubleshooting and maintenance at the New Chitose Airport,” its statement read.
The carrier added that the incident had been reported to the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department.
It did not answer to a Post inquiry on how the passengers would be dealt with.
