A Hainan Airlines flight bound for Manchester with more than 230 passengers on board was forced to make an emergency landing in Russia early today. The Airbus A330-300 from Beijing encountered trouble over Siberia due to a "mechanical fault," circling several times over the city of Divnogorsk before landing in Krasnoyarsk.
Emergency response and confirmation
Russian emergency vehicles were on "full alert" when the plane landed. Hainan Airlines confirmed that a "mechanical fault" was the reason for the emergency landing four hours into the flight but did not specify any detail about the on-board problem.
"No deaths or injuries were reported," said a statement by the Russian Emergencies Ministry. "The aircraft and ground infrastructure sustained no damage." The Russians described it as a "technical malfunction" on the seven-year-old aircraft.
Passenger support and onward travel
A Russian report said British and Chinese passengers were on board, but neither the airline nor the authorities in Krasnoyarsk gave a breakdown of the nationalities of people on the stricken aircraft. "Fifty-one personnel and 15 vehicles were dispatched to the scene, including 39 personnel and 11 vehicles from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations," said a Russian statement.
Flight HU753 landed safely at Krasnoyarsk at 6:28am local time [12:28am BST], said the airline. "Immediately after landing, an English- and Chinese-speaking airport employees began working," said a Russian statement. "At the direction of the Krasnoyarsk Airport CEO, passengers and crew are being provided full support. Agents from the passenger transportation service, including linguists, are on site."
Implications for passengers
According to the airline, a backup aircraft will be dispatched to continue the flight to Krasnoyarsk. The unexpected diversion would have left any British passengers on the aircraft stranded in a country to which the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel. The warning cites security incidents, the risk of detention and Britain's limited ability to provide consular support—although those aboard HU753 had not voluntarily travelled to Russia.
Hainan Airways said the company plans to replace the aircraft to operate the onward flight. It said: "We will properly arrange passenger service support to ensure safe arrival at the destination. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused to passengers. Hainan Airlines always adheres to the principles of safety first and passengers first, providing safe, comfortable and efficient services."
Unlike British and EU airlines, which are barred from Russian airspace and avoid it on safety grounds, Chinese carriers continue to use the shorter trans-Siberian route to Europe. Krasnoyarsk is a major Siberian industrial city of about 1.2 million people on the Yenisei River some 2,100 miles east of Moscow.
