Swiss jet seriously damaged on Hong Kong runway

Hong Kong - A Swiss Air passenger plane was undergoing repairs Thursday in Hong Kong after four of its tyres exploded on the taxiway of the city's airport, wrecking one of the plane's engines and forcing it to abandon take-off.

The Airbus, with 243 people aboard, suffered extensive damage in the incident, which occurred shortly before midnight on April 1 as the Swiss International Air Lines flight was preparing to fly from Hong Kong to Zurich.

Debris from the tyres smashed the cowling of one of the A340's engines forcing the pilot to abandon take-off. No one was injured, and passengers were able to disembark using a set of mobile stairs.

Details of the incident were made public Thursday as an investigation by Airbus, Swiss Air and Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department was under way.

The investigators are believed to be looking at whether the incident was caused by a mechanical problem or by a foreign object on the taxiway.

A 16-metre scratch was found on the taxiway after the incident. However, both the Civil Aviation Department and the Airport Authority said the scratch was believed to have been caused by the wheels scraping the surface after the tyres exploded.

'The preliminary information does not suggest that the scratch on the taxiway was the cause but was highly probable due to the movement of the aircraft while the tyres were deflated,' a department spokesman said.

The airline has described the incident as 'serious' and 'unprecedented' in its fleet, saying tyres occasionally explode with a hard landing but not when a plane was just travelling on the taxiway.

The Airbus was expected to leave Hong Kong for Zurich within the coming days after having one engine replaced and repairs being carried out on its landing gear.

The Airport Authority said the scratch on the taxiway did not present an immediate safety issue and repairs would be carried out to the surface within the next two weeks.
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