The Airport Authority said on Thursday that the north runway had been temporarily closed from 8am to facilitate the removal of a cargo plane that veered off course and ended up in the sea after landing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) three days ago.

The airport operator said the operation is expected to take a few days, with the assistance of the Guangzhou Salvage Bureau and Chu Kong passenger transport company.

"Salvage vessels 'Nan Tian Xiang' and 'Nan Tian Peng', with maximum lifting capacity of 350 and 500 tonnes respectively, will arrive at the waters adjacent to HKIA these two days, bringing with them specialist equipment and a crew of about 80 professionals, including divers, machinists, boatmen and engineers," the authority said in a statement.

Authorities are still investigating why the Emirates cargo plane from Dubai skidded off the tarmac moments after landing on Monday morning.

The aircraft crashed into a security patrol vehicle and pushed it into the sea, killing two staff members on board.

Deputy chairman of aircraft division of the Institution of Engineers, Warren Chim, said recovery of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders -- both of which located in the tail section of the plane -- will be key to the investigation.

"Based on the data download from these two black boxes, the investigators could reconstruct a detailed timeline, particularly the final moments of the flight. So, all these will help construct a full picture of what had happened," he said.
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Last updated: 2025-10-23 HKT 10:20