On November 10, 2024, a shuttle bus at Hong Kong International Airport collided with the wingtip of a Shandong Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, registered as B-224R. The incident occurred while the aircraft was on the airport apron, preparing for flight SC1152 to Jinan, China. The collision caused a delay of approximately eight hours, with the flight eventually departing at 10:08 p.m. local time, instead of the scheduled 2:10 p.m.
A video shared on Douyin, a Chinese social media platform, captured the moment the bus’s roof struck the underside of the plane’s wingtip. The footage shows the bus reversing after the collision, while the wingtip continues to move. The bus involved was marked with “zero emission,” indicating it was one of the airport’s electric buses, part of an initiative to replace diesel models by 2024.
This incident is part of a series of similar occurrences at airports worldwide. For instance, in October 2023, an American Eagle flight operated by Air Wisconsin Airlines collided with an employee shuttle bus at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, resulting in minor injuries to two shuttle passengers.
Such incidents highlight the importance of strict adherence to safety protocols and heightened awareness among ground personnel to prevent accidents on the airport apron.