I am really starting to question the safety of Emirates after another Boeing 777 incident which could have resulted in the catastrophic loss of hundreds of lives.
A second incident “close to disaster” on Emirates EK524
It’s not clickbait. Here’s what we know about the incident, as reported by the Aviation Herald:
- The incident happened on January 9, 2022.
- EK524 from Dubai (DXB) to Hyderabad (HYD), operated by a Boeing 777-300 (registration A6-EQA, seating up to 427 passengers) rolled down runway 30R at Dubai International Airport even though it n had not been cleared for take-off.
- At the same time, another Emirates 777-300 (registration A6-EBY), preparing to take off for Bangalore (BLR) on EK568, taxied for departure and was cleared by air traffic control to cross runway 30R.
- The crew of EK524 was ordered to abort takeoff; he had already covered 2,600 feet on the runway and reached speeds of 130 knots.
- The pilots managed to bring the aircraft to an abrupt halt and left the active runway behind EK568
The Aviation Herald reports that two independent sources have confirmed the incident.
Just weeks after revelations of a pilot error that could have led to the crash of a 777-300ER when the pilots did not immediately notice the plane’s nose was dropping, a new incident occurs suspected pilot error.
> Find out more: Emirates 777 nearly crashed due to pilot error
I am not a security expert. I’m not a pilot either. But as a consumer and someone who has watched this industry closely for nearly 20 years, these recent events should be very troubling for Emirates. Although Emirates has stoically declined to comment so far, these incidents demand a response and suggest that immediate reform is needed within the organization.
CONCLUSION
Emirates is facing greater scrutiny after revelations of a second near-miss incident which could have resulted in a catastrophic loss. It is time for Emirates to be transparent about these incidents and take concrete action to ensure they never happen again.
picture: Anna Zvereva (from A6-EQA, one of the aircraft involved in this incident)
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