Air China flight from New York to Beijing canceled after refueling incident
Air China flight CA982 from New York to Beijing was canceled after reports of a fuel leak during the refueling of a Boeing 747-8 at John F. Kennedy Airport. According to posts on Chinese social media, the incident occurred overnight while the aircraft was parked at the gate. No injuries on board or near the aircraft were reported.
As reported by the South China Morning Post, according to Shanghai Observer and a video circulated on social media, a fuel truck moved while two hoses allegedly remained connected to the aircraft. According to these reports, this damaged the refueling connections and caused a fuel spill on the apron. SCMP could not independently verify the video.
Flight marked as canceled
Flight-tracking platform Umetrip marked CA982 as canceled. According to the schedule, the aircraft was due to depart JFK at 2:05 on August 31 and arrive in Beijing at 6:40 the following day.
One passenger who said they were booked on the flight wrote on social media that they arrived at the airport at 21:00 and boarding began around 1:00. According to the passenger, during boarding, passengers were asked to leave the aircraft without an explanation. In the morning, they were informed that the flight had been canceled and asked to collect their baggage.
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Air China did not issue a statement
Several passengers also shared a message that they said came from Air China. It cited “fuel assurance” as the reason for the cancellation, which likely referred to the organization of refueling. The text did not mention a fuel leak, aircraft damage, or a fuel truck, and the authenticity of the message was not independently confirmed.
Air China did not provide an immediate comment and did not issue a public statement regarding the incident. Aviation Safety Network added the incident to its database, noting that the available information comes from news reports, social media, or unofficial sources.
The aircraft, registered B-2486, is a Boeing 747-8 that, according to Aviation Safety Network, Air China has operated since 2014. It is configured for 365 passengers.
