HONG KONG- A shuttle bus at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) struck the underside of a Boeing 737 MAX wingtip, delaying a Shandong Airlines (SC) flight to Jinan (TNA), China, by seven hours over the weekend.
A video posted Sunday on Douyin, a Chinese video-sharing platform, captured the moment the airport bus’s roof collided with the bottom of the plane’s wingtip on the airport apron.
Boeing 737 Hit by Bus at HKG
After the collision, the bus reversed, while the plane’s wing continued moving up and down. “Shandong Airlines” was visible on the aircraft’s body in the video.
The user who posted the video wrote, “The wing was broken. We had to wait for repairs during the day, and it wasn’t fixed until midnight. Do you dare to get on this plane?”
A video of a shuttle bus colliding with the wingtip of a Shandong Airlines 737 MAX at Hong Kong International Airport was shared on the social media platform Threads on Monday. According to FlightRadar24 data, the flight was delayed by 8 hours.
According to the HKG website, Shandong Airlines flight SC1152 to Jinan, Shandong’s capital, was scheduled for departure at 2:10 p.m. on November 10 but was delayed until 10:08 p.m. local time.
The aircraft involved in the incident is a Boeing 737-8 (MAX 8), registered as B-224R. Further, it is a new aircraft, Shandong took delivery of it in March 2024.
The video shows the bus marked with “zero emission,” suggesting it was one of the airport’s electric buses. These electric airside buses are part of an initiative to phase out diesel models by 2024, as announced by airport authorities in 2020.
Hong Kong International Airport has experienced other recent incidents. In February, a tow-truck driver was arrested after a worker, who reportedly fell from his vehicle, was found dead on the airport apron.
Similar Incidents
Last year in October, An incident at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) involved an American Eagle flight operated by Air Wisconsin Airlines and an employee shuttle bus, resulting in injuries to two shuttle passengers.
American Eagle flight 6209, operated as part of American Airlines (AA), collided with the shuttle bus while taxiing. WLS-TV reported that two shuttle passengers were taken to Ascension Resurrection Hospital in Chicago with minor injuries.
Similarly, On August 26, 2023, a United Airlines (UA) Boeing 737 was parked at gate M37 in Terminal 5 at Chicago O’Hare Airport (ORD) after arriving from Punta Cana (PUJ).
While the plane was stationary, an American Airlines luggage cart struck its front right section. Post-incident images show a substantial puncture above the aircraft’s landing gear.
Each year, hundreds of major and minor incidents occur at the airport due to mishandling and carelessness while working around the aircraft. Make sure to stay alert while working in an apron, or in a hangar at any place which involves complete awareness and focus.
Feature Image by Max, Jack, and Nathan
Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Join us on Telegram Group for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News
