AAIA Releases Report on Air India Boeing 787 Incident at Hong Kong Airport

Investigation Report on serious incident involving Boeing 787-8 passenger aircraft published

The Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) today (April 7) published the Investigation Report IVR-2025-02 on the investigation into a serious incident involving a Boeing 787-8 passenger aircraft (registration mark VT-ANE) operated by Air India at Hong Kong International Airport on October 20, 2018.

On the day of the incident, the aircraft departed from Indira Gandhi International Airport, India, for Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). During the approach to HKIA at about 6am, the aircraft descended rapidly, triggering a series of alerts. The aircraft had descended to 280 feet radio altitude, approximately 2.6 nautical miles from the runway, when the crew performed a go-around. The aircraft landed uneventfully on the second approach.

The investigation identified that the cause of the incident was that following the fluctuation of the Instrument Landing System glideslope signal, which resulted in an undesired pitch down and deviation of the aircraft below the intended flight path, coupled with a subsequent delay in recovery by the flight crew, the approach became increasingly unstable. The investigation team has made three safety recommendations to Air India.

The investigation was conducted by a team of professional investigators in strict adherence to international standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). "The objective of the investigation was to identify the circumstances and causes of the serious incident with a view to preventing a recurrence," an AAIA spokesperson said.

Throughout the investigation, all parties concerned were properly consulted on the report. The report is available for downloading on the AAIA webpage (www.tlb.gov.hk/aaia/eng/investigation_reports/index.html).

The AAIA, an independent investigation authority formed under the Transport and Logistics Bureau, is responsible for the investigation of civil aircraft accidents and incidents in accordance with the Hong Kong Civil Aviation (Investigation of Accidents) Regulations (Cap. 448B) and with reference to the ICAO's standards.

Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine worth about $4 million at airport

​Hong Kong Customs today (April 10) detected a drug trafficking case involving baggage concealment at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 20 kilograms of suspected 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine with an estimated market value of about $4 million.

A 31-year-old female passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Vancouver, Canada, today. During customs clearance, Customs officers found the batch of suspected 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine inside her check-in suitcase. The woman was subsequently arrested.

The investigation is ongoing.

Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.

Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.

Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).