China Eastern Jet Hits Jet Bridge During Gate Docking at Shanghai Hongqiao

02/05/2026

SHANGHAI, May 2: A routine domestic arrival escalated into a notable aviation incident on Saturday when a China Eastern Airlines Airbus A350-941 came into contact with a jet bridge at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport.

Flight MU5406, arriving from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, had landed safely and was in the final stages of docking at the gate around midday when the collision occurred.

No injuries were reported, but the incident has prompted an official investigation, drawing attention to ground handling procedures at one of China’s busiest domestic aviation hubs.

Shanghai Hongqiao plays a key role in connecting major business and tourism routes, and disruptions at the airport can have broader implications for operational efficiency, passenger movement, and airline scheduling.

As China’s aviation sector continues to expand rapidly, even minor ground incidents are increasingly viewed through the lens of system-wide reliability and safety standards.