A Hainan Airlines flight from Beijing to Manchester made an emergency landing in Siberia after experiencing a mechanical fault, with around 230 people on board. The Airbus A330-300, operating as flight HU753, diverted to Krasnoyarsk International Airport in Russia's eastern Siberia on August 15, 2026, after pilots detected the issue. The airline confirmed the aircraft landed safely, and Russia's Emergency Ministry reported no deaths or injuries and no damage to the aircraft or infrastructure.
Flight Details and Response
The flight took off from Beijing at approximately 7:40pm UTC on August 15 and touched down at Krasnoyarsk at around 11:30pm UTC, according to aviation tracking website Flightradar24. Dozens of emergency crews and vehicles were dispatched to meet the plane upon landing at 7:28am Beijing time. Local media reported that passengers on board were British and Chinese, though nationalities have not been officially confirmed.
Hainan Airlines issued a statement saying: 'On 15 August 2026, our flight HU753 (Beijing–Manchester) diverted to Krasnoyarsk International Airport in Russia due to a mechanical fault. The flight landed safely at 07:28 Beijing time.' The airline added that it plans to replace the aircraft to operate the onward flight and will arrange passenger service support to ensure safe arrival at the destination, apologizing for any inconvenience.
Onward Travel and Context
A replacement aircraft was being sent to operate a connecting flight to Europe. Flightradar24 data indicated another Hainan Airlines flight departed Krasnoyarsk later that day bound for Brussels, where another plane connected to Manchester. The Manchester flight landed shortly after 9pm yesterday due to the time difference.
The incident comes as the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Russia due to 'the risks and threats from its continuing invasion of Ukraine.' In related news, Russian missiles were fired on Kyiv this morning, leading to fires and one injury, while Ukraine has struck targets hundreds of miles inside Russia, with the latest reported attack involving a rocket factory more than 500 miles from the border on Saturday.
