Cargo Plane Skids Off Runway into Sea in Hong Kong, Two Dead

A Boeing 747 cargo plane flying from Dubai to Hong Kong skidded off the runway and into the sea while landing at Hong Kong International Airport early Monday. Four crew members were rescued, but two ground staff were killed. The aircraft, operated by Turkish airline AirACT for Emirates SkyCargo, had no cargo onboard. The airport’s northern runway was closed, while other runways remained operational.

A cargo aircraft en route from Dubai veered off the runway and ended up in the sea while attempting to land at Hong Kong International Airport, according to a statement issued on Monday by the city's airport operator. Local media reports have indicated that the incident resulted in the deaths of two individuals.

The aircraft was in the process of landing at approximately 3:50 a.m. local time, which corresponds to 1950 GMT on Sunday, as reported by the Hong Kong Airport Authority. According to officials, the incident occurred during a landing attempt on the airport’s northern runway.

Emergency response teams rescued four crew members from the aircraft and transported them to a nearby hospital for treatment. However, preliminary police reports suggested that two individuals who were on an airport ground vehicle at the time were fatally injured. These deaths have been confirmed by police authorities.

In an official statement released on Monday, Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department reported that the aircraft “deviated from the north runway after landing and ditched into the sea.” The statement also noted that “two ground staff were affected and fell into the sea,” though their exact medical conditions had yet to be confirmed at the time of the announcement.

Following the incident, airport officials closed the northern runway to facilitate ongoing emergency response and investigation activities. Despite the closure, the airport clarified that its central and southern runways would remain operational to minimize disruption to overall flight operations.

Flight tracking service Flightradar24 identified the aircraft involved in the accident as a Boeing 747 freighter. In a post shared on X (formerly known as Twitter), Flightradar24 noted that the aircraft was operated by AirACT, a Turkish cargo airline that provides additional freight capacity for other carriers. The flight, designated EK9788, was being operated on behalf of Emirates SkyCargo and had originated from Dubai.

In a separate statement, Emirates confirmed the details surrounding the flight. The airline explained that EK9788 was a cargo flight using a Boeing 747 aircraft that had been wet-leased from and was operated by ACT Airlines. Emirates added that the aircraft sustained damage upon landing in Hong Kong. Importantly, the airline also confirmed that there was no cargo on board at the time of the incident and that all crew members had been accounted for and were safe.