Hong Kong International Airport experienced a severe aviation incident on Monday when a cargo plane skidded off its northern runway into the sea during landing. The Boeing 747 cargo aircraft, operating under Emirates flight number EK9788 and wet-leased from Turkish carrier ACT Airlines (also known as AirACT), was arriving from Dubai. The incident occurred at approximately 3:50 a.m. local time, resulting in the aircraft being partially submerged in water near the airport’s sea wall, with photos showing its nose and tail sections separated.

Tragically, two men, aged 30 and 41, who were in a ground vehicle that collided with the plane, were confirmed dead. Four crew members on board the cargo plane were successfully rescued and reported to be safe. It was confirmed that there was no cargo onboard the aircraft. Following the accident, the northern runway at Hong Kong International Airport was closed, although the south and central runways continued to operate, and the airport stated that flights would remain unaffected on Monday. Helicopters were also deployed to assist in search and rescue operations. Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department reported that the aircraft had "deviated from the north runway after landing and ditched into the sea."

This incident at Hong Kong International Airport occurred just days after another significant aviation near-miss in Italy. On Friday, September 20, at 11:57 p.m., an Airbus A320 operated by budget airline Air Arabia experienced a dangerous loss of altitude shortly after taking off from Catania Airport on the Italian island of Sicily. Eleven seconds after takeoff, the jet fell to less than 200 feet above the water before quickly regaining altitude and continuing its flight to Amman, the capital of Jordan.

The Italian National Agency for Flight Safety (ANSV) has opened an investigation into this "serious incident." The aircraft, which had no passengers but carried two pilots and four flight attendants, activated a Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) pull-up message as it approached the sea surface. Investigators will require pilots to recount their version of events, cross-referenced with onboard system data, to determine the cause. Possible explanations being considered include an error in calculating takeoff weights or a faulty maneuver by the pilots, despite the good weather conditions at the time.