KUALA LUMPUR – A dramatic landing incident at Halifax Stanfield International Airport on Saturday night (local time, today Malaysian time) has highlighted growing concerns over aviation safety after a week marred by three major air disasters worldwide.
An Air Canada Express flight operated by PAL Airlines, arriving from St John’s, skidded off the runway and caught fire during landing, forcing a swift emergency evacuation. The aircraft reportedly suffered a suspected landing gear malfunction, which caused it to tilt sharply and skid along the tarmac before part of it caught fire.
Passenger Nikki Valentine, who was onboard, recounted the terrifying moments as the plane veered off course. “The plane started to sit at about a 20-degree angle to the left, and we heard a pretty loud – what almost sounded like a crash sound – as the wing started to skid along the pavement,” she told CBC News.
“The plane shook quite a bit, and we started seeing fire on the left side of the plane, with smoke coming in the windows.”
Valentine described the evacuation as chaotic but orderly, with passengers hurriedly disembarking as flames engulfed one side of the aircraft.
“It took about two minutes to get everyone off,” she added.
All 73 passengers and crew onboard were safely evacuated, with no reports of life-threatening injuries, though many were visibly shaken by the ordeal.
Emergency services at the airport responded swiftly, and operations were temporarily suspended while the runway was cleared. One runway was reopened later that evening, but the cause of the malfunction is still under investigation.
Three air tragedies in a week
The Halifax incident occurred against the backdrop of two catastrophic crashes occurring this week alone, amplifying concerns about air travel safety.
Hours before the Halifax landing, Jeju Air Flight 7C 2216 crash-landed at Muan International Airport in South Korea. The Boeing 737-800, en route from Bangkok, veered off the runway, collided with a concrete wall, and erupted in flames.
Out of the 181 people onboard, 85 fatalities have been confirmed, with only two survivors rescued from the wreckage. The rest are presumed dead as of the latest update from the Fire Department. Authorities suspect a landing gear failure, potentially caused by a bird strike, as the cause of the crash.
Earlier this week, Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243 crashed during an emergency landing near Aktau International Airport in Kazakhstan. The Embraer 190 aircraft, carrying 67 people, resulted in 38 fatalities and 29 survivors.
No Malaysians were involved in the incident, according to Wisma Putra, but the crash has drawn international attention to systemic safety concerns in the aviation industry. – December 29, 2024