An African airline responds to criticism after flying ahead of the typhoon

Two media outlets sparked controversy after a flight shortly before a typhoon hit Hong Kong.

It all started with the arrival of Typhoon Saola, in Southeast Asia, mainly in Hong Kong, which is one of the most important cities in the world and occupies a small area on the Chinese coast.

As a precautionary measure, most airlines canceled their scheduled flights at the time of the typhoon’s arrival, adding “Samina” a few hours earlier. This was done even by the “lady of the house” and the main operator of Hong Kong Airport, Cathay Pacific.

The last Cathay flight landed at 1:40 PM and the last Cathay flight was at 3:00 PM, after which no flights landed or took off from Hong Kong, except for one: Ethiopian Airlines 608.

This flight departs from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, stops in Bangkok, Thailand, and continues to Hong Kong, operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. When this plane left Thailand on the first day, it had already been more than an hour since the last Cathay flight had touched down, and it was almost the same time the last flight had taken off.

The Dreamliner landed at 5:05 PM local HK time, without turning or any problems, as shown below. However, the weather report from the airport indicates that there were winds of 38 to 44 knots (70 to 80 km/h), with winds of 90 degrees (perpendicular) to the runway, which is well above the permissible limit. Boeing 787 at 33 knots (61 km/h) in a headwind.

The forecast also indicates showers and clouds at an altitude of 1,500 feet (457 meters). These indications, and being the only plane operating at the airport for hours, raised questions, even with the landing occurring without problems, as shown in the following video.

arguing

a bloomberg He was the first to report this case, and he said so “The Ethiopian Airlines plane was hit by a rare landing risk during a powerful typhoon”specialized portal One mile at a time Put it in the address Ridiculous: Ethiopian flight from Hong Kong amid typhoon (SIC).

Other media also reported the truth, noting that it was the only company that flew in the middle of the storm, even if it was before its arrival. Others criticized the posts, as the flight landed safely, and also alleged bias (racism and xenophobia) for an African airline flying into an Asian country.

At the end of Saturday, Ethiopian Airlines put itself officially on its Facebook page. The company claims that the flight did not leave Bangkok until after the crew “Receive forecast that the weather will be safe for landing in Hong Kong.”

“The Ethiopian Airlines dispatch team knew about the typhoon earlier and followed everything from planning to flight, and gave frequent updates to the crew, keeping in mind that the storm would be far from Hong Kong by the time the plane arrived.”The company said.

The Ethiopian went on to conclude that “The reports in some media outlets that the plane landed in the midst of the hurricane are incorrect“.

However, something the company did not report was the return flight, which was kept taking off until 30 minutes before the scheduled take-off time, even with all other flights from the airport being cancelled, since the typhoon was already in critical condition. From Hong Kong depending on the time of departure.

As a result, many passengers went to the airport check in And I sent the luggage, considering that the option to reschedule was not open, because the flight was “confirmed”. With the arrival of the typhoon, the flight was rescheduled for the next day just after midnight, angering many passengers who went to the airport.