The Macau International Airport Co. Ltd. (CAM) has assured the public that pilots are accustomed to the runways at local airports, and that landing procedures have not resulted in any accidents. Newspaper Tribuna de Macau reported this week that, in March, an Air Macau flight had trouble landing and flew close to a hill while circling overhead before attempting to land again.
Air Macau confirmed the incident yesterday, stressing that the aircraft was in good condition.
“Flight crews were fully qualified and ready to fly. When trying to make an approach, visibility was poor and to ensure the safety of passengers, a decision to circle overhead was taken timely,” Air Macau divulged in an email.
The airline acknowledged that while circling overhead “there was a minor deviation from standard circling procedures.” Nevertheless, Air Macau reiterated that the “aircraft was maintained within the safety zone at all times.”
Air Macau said it reported the incident to Macau’s Civil Aviation Authority.
However, an unnamed source within Air Macau told newspaper Tribuna that, “it was a serious incident,” which fortunately had not resulted in severe consequences, as the plane landed safely a few minutes later.
Nevertheless, the same source raised concerns over the safety of runway number 16, which is not equipped with an ILS system (instrument landing system).
Due to poor visibility, the pilots on board aborted their first approach to the runway and circled overhead. According to the same source, the pilots forgot that the autopilot system was switched on, leading to the aircraft turning right instead of left, thus flying close to one of Taipa’s hills.
According to the source, the pilots switched off the autopilot system seconds later and made a sharp turn to prevent the plane from crashing into a hill. “If the pilot had taken a few more seconds to take notice and to take action, an accident could have happened,” the source declared.
The unnamed source added that “with the poor weather conditions, landing on runway number 16 is more difficult due to the lack of an ILS system.”
CAM told the Times that over the past 20 years “pilots have been practicing and performing well while flying, especially during landing procedures” which have not resulted in any accidents. “All the airlines operating at the Macau International Airport are licensed and the qualification of its pilot’s techniques ensured,” CAM stated in an email.
Furthermore, CAM recalled that Macau’s airport was designed and set up 20 years ago, with its designated flying route not passing by Zhuhai airspace.
CAM also said that with increased air traffic, “the pilot’s decision to land or not is very crucial to everyone’s life,” and therefore passengers should understand potential delays in flight departures or arrivals.
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