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China Airlines Fuel Emergency

According to Yomiuri Shimbun, the current inclement weather over Japan caused a China Airlines flight to declare a fuel emergency on 8 July, which has been designated by MLITT as a "serious incident".
Japanese text: https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/2...rom=ytop_main5

Google Translation with minor edits:
China Airlines 170 (Boeing 737-800 aircraft) flight from Taipei to Toyama requested an emergency landing at Chubu International Airport due to fuel shortage around 12:40 pm on August 8 and landed at the airport in about 30 minutes. There were no injuries in 155 passenger crew members. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism recognized this as a serious incident that could lead to an accident. The Transportation Safety Commission nominated two accident investigators and started investigating.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the flight departed Taipei around 9:10 am on the same day. It could not land because the airflow near Toyama Airport was disturbed, It changed its destination to Chubu International Airport. It is said that it seems that fuel has run out during this period.

Ends

Which is why, ladies and gentlemen, we do missed aproach briefing in substance, not as a matter of form, and unless there is a significant change we divert after two failed approaches...

If I don’t have the fuel I’m gone after one, I don’t need more gray hair.

Landed 30 mins after declaring a fuel emergency??? Clearly the sky did not open up for them....

Fuel emergency just means you anticipate landing with less than 30 minutes reserve. You could have 90 minutes in the tanks when you call it, if your nearest suitable is more than 60 minutes away.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AerocatS2A (Post 10192976)

Fuel emergency just means you anticipate landing with less than 30 minutes reserve. You could have 90 minutes in the tanks when you call it, if your nearest suitable is more than 60 minutes away.

maybe, but part of the requirement of declaring mayday fuel is that you land at the nearest airport. You can’t bypass other suitable airports to land at your preferred airport under a fuel mayday.

Is there reason to think they didn’t land at the nearest suitable?

Quote:

Originally Posted by cappt (Post 10192494)

If I don’t have the fuel I’m gone after one, I don’t need more gray hair.

if I understand correctly they have spent as much as 3 hours in the air on top of normal block time for this flight ie in practice they had a fuel enough to operate a flight back home with no refuelling under normal circumstances.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CargoOne (Post 10193454)

if I understand correctly they have spent as much as 3 hours in the air on top of normal block time for this flight.

No. According to FR24 NGO landing was at 13:09 JST, just over 4 hours in flight. Must have eaten into the alternate reserves while making that spiralng ascent for terrain clearance after one approach too many.