The north runway at the airport, which was shut due to a fatal collision, will be kept on standby when it reopens, authorities said on Tuesday.

Early on Monday, an Emirates cargo plane suddenly turned to the left while landing on the runway, before colliding with a security patrol vehicle, pushing it into the sea and killing two ground staff inside.

The airliner – a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft – broke into two and also fell into the water. The four air crew were unharmed.

The Airport Authority's executive director, Steven Yiu, said repair works at the runway were completed by 7am on Tuesday and officials aimed to reopen the strip by noon.

"As the wreckage of the plane is still on the water, there are many vehicles and cranes helping with the salvage work. So when we reopen the runway, we'll keep it on standby. But in terms of safe take-offs and landings of planes, it will function as a normal runway," Yiu told a radio programme.

Officials want to remove the aircraft from the crash site in a week, he said, but the progress will be subject to factors such as the weather conditions.

Yiu said authorities are also working to recover the flight recorder, which is said to be located at the rear of the submerged aircraft.