Slippery in China - Curt Lewis

Two planes skid off icy airport runway in western China, airline staff removed

No one was hurt in the incidents that occurred 40 minutes apart, but a Shanghai Airlines manager lost his job

















Two passenger planes skidded off an icy runway just before take-off at an airport in western China on Tuesday.

No one was hurt in the two separate incidents at Urumqi Diwobao International Airport in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China News Service reported.
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The first incident occurred at 9.33am, when Shanghai Airlines' flight FM9220 bound for Shanghai veered off the runway while making a turn.

Photos shared on Chinese social media showed damage to the ground after the first incident. Photo: Weibo
About forty minutes later, Shenzhen Airlines' flight ZH9240 bound for Shenzhen slid off the taxiway. Shenzhen Airlines is a subsidiary of China Southern Airlines.

The civil aviation authority's Urumqi branch said no one was injured in either accident and both planes also did not suffer damage. Airport operations were briefly affected.

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After the first incident, Shanghai Airlines removed the company's flight division manager from his post and urged employees to strengthen safety awareness, Xinhua news agency reported.
The airport is investigating the incidents.