Ethiopian Airlines cargo plane caught on fire at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport

Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/22 17:40:05

Screenshot from a video clip circulating online



An Ethiopian Airlines' cargo plane was seen on fire at the landing field of Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Wednesday afternoon. The aircraft is reportedly a nearly 6-year-old Boeing 777-200LRF cargo plane. The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Ethiopian Airlines said in a statement that no ground staff or flight crew were injured in the incident. It said the aircraft, a B777 freight aircraft with the registration number ET-ARH, caught fire while loading cargo at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Wednesday.

The plane was on a regular scheduled cargo service from Shanghai to Sao Paulo-Santiago via Addis Ababa, the statement said.

Shanghai Airport Authority announced on Sina Weibo that the incident happened at 15:20 and an investigation is underway.

The fire was successfully put out at 17:01 with no casualties. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) East China Regional Administration has since opened an investigation into the incident, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.

Reports said that the Shanghai's Pudong International Airport temporarily suspended flight take-offs and landings as the fire could have affected flight safety. Some flights were diverted to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport while others were cancelled.

Data from information provider VariFlight said that as of 18:00, 175 inbound flights were cancelled, 20 were diverted or returned, and 50 were delayed for more than half an hour. Among the outbound flights, 173 were cancelled and 81 flights were delayed for at least half an hour.

Video clips circulating online show that the fire spread quickly and fiercely from the tail of the plane, while parts of the plane have been burned right through, with heavy smoke billowing at the scene.

The fire-fighting authority in Shanghai announced on Sina Weibo that a fire broke out on a cargo plane at Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 15:57 on Wednesday. The municipal emergency response center dispatched 18 fire trucks from 5 fire stations to the scene to handle the situation. "There are currently no casualties," the authority said on Weibo.

Rumors said that the airport had been closed for one hour due to the incident.

FATIII, an influential aviation blogger, wrote on Sina Weibo that the original destination of the aircraft was to be Sao Paulo Airport in Brazil. Another influential aviation blogger claimed that other crews had heard Mayday calls on the frequency.

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