Salvage crews at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) have successfully lifted the main fuselage and tail section of the cargo aircraft that plunged into the sea during a fatal accident on 20 October, officials confirmed.
The complex operation — coordinated by the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) with support from the Guangzhou Salvage Bureau — saw professional divers and engineers working for several days to recover key sections of the aircraft from waters off the airport’s North Runway.
The tail section was hoisted from the water at 22:41 local time on 24 October and placed on a barge for inspection by the Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA). Investigators have since retrieved the aircraft’s flight recorder, commonly known as the black box.
Earlier that day, one of the engines and the landing gear were also lifted from the seabed. By 19:37 on 26 October, the main fuselage had been raised and secured on a barge for transfer to a designated storage site, where it will undergo further examination by AAIA investigators.
Authorities said the remaining wreckage will be recovered and secured by 27 October, marking the completion of the salvage operation.
Despite the ongoing recovery work, flight operations at HKIA have continued as normal since efforts began on 24 October.
The investigation into the cargo aircraft crash, which claimed the lives of two airport security staff when the plane veered off the runway and into the sea, remains under way.
