A commercial aircraft collided with a passenger bridge during its landing at a major airport in China, causing alarm among passengers who heard a loud noise upon impact.
Video footage captured the plane, operated by China Eastern Airlines, slowly approaching the gate before its wing struck the boarding bridge, leading to a significant portion of the bridge collapsing.
Images revealed the partially collapsed bridge moments after the plane, an Airbus A350-900, landed at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport on May 2. The aircraft hit the bridge, reversed, and then hit it again.
Passengers recounted multiple impacts, noting that after the initial collision, the plane reversed and then moved forward, striking the structure a second time with a loud noise accompanying the impact. Travelers likened the sensation to turbulence.
It was reported that a valuable Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84 engine on the left wing bore the direct impact.
China Eastern Airlines assured that all passengers and crew safely disembarked from the unaffected side of the plane and issued a formal apology for the inconvenience caused.
An airline spokesperson attributed the incident to a mechanical problem affecting the plane’s movement during taxiing. The aircraft, in service for approximately five years, sustained visible damage near the wing.
All passengers and crew were confirmed to be unharmed, with each passenger offered compensation of £33 (CNY 300).
The collision occurred during China’s busy May Day holiday, a peak period for domestic air travel.
Authorities responsible for aviation safety initiated an official inquiry to ascertain whether the collision resulted from technical failure, human error, or issues with the airport’s electronic guidance system.
The aircraft is currently grounded for thorough technical evaluations, with regulators closely examining the arrival procedures that were followed.
