An Air China Airbus A330-300 was severely damaged by a cargo hold fire at Beijing Capital International Airport Aug. 27 as passengers were boarding for a flight to Tokyo Haneda.

When smoke appeared from the forward cargo hold, the crew immediately ordered passengers to evacuate the aircraft, Air China said.

The crew members also implemented fire extinguishing procedures, the company said. Despite their efforts, the fire was serious enough to emit black smoke thick enough to obscure part of the airport’s Terminal 3, where the A330 was standing, photographs posted on social media show.

Smoke also emerged from the rear fuselage.

The fire appears to have burned through the top of the fuselage just ahead of the wing and just behind the forward doors.

The cause is under investigation, Air China said.

The aircraft, registered as B-5958 and equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, was delivered in 2014. </s> An Air China Airbus A330 burst into flames right as passengers and crew were boarding, forcing an emergency evacuation of the immediate area at Beijing Airport.

There have been no reports of injuries and emergency services are on the scene battling the blaze which erupted in the cargo hold of Air China flight CA976 Tuesday.

The plane had only recently landed from Singapore and the fire erupted as fresh passengers were boarding the aircraft. Eyewitness footage shows passengers filming the flames engulfing the plane they were due to board from the safety of the gangway.

The cause of the blaze is as yet unknown.

Air China posted a statement on Weibo that said crew members and airport staff had successfully tackled the fire.

“Smoke was detected during boarding in the storage unit of flight CA183, which is set to fly from Beijing to Tokyo,” it said.

“Crew members and airport staff have successfully put out the smoke. We are investigating the cause of the incident.”

Like this story? Share it with a friend! </s> Emergency services were scrambled at Beijing International Airport (PEK) after smoke started billowing out of an Air China A330.

Huge plumes of smoke were seen coming out of the aircraft during a turnaround of flight number CA976 between Singapore and Beijing. While passengers were starting to board the aircraft, believed to be registered B-5958, smoke suddenly started coming out of the cargo compartment.

Passengers and crew safely evacuated the aircraft

As emergency services rushed to the scene, passengers and crew members safely evacuated the aircraft using the jetway.

Video clip taken by passenger inside the terminal pic.twitter.com/4KnIhzoGIO Featured Video: — ChinaAviationReview (@ChinaAvReview) August 27, 2019

Passengers who were supposed to fly on the A330 to Tokyo Haneda immediately took to social media, posting shocking videos of the fire on Twitter.

Having had a look at the videos and photos of the incident, it would appear as if the plane may be beyond repair. It looks to have suffered severe damage to the fuselage.

Beijing Airport issued a statement about the incident

Beijing Airport authorities issued a statement confirming that it was a storage unit aboard the aircraft that was on fire.

The statement reads: “After discussions with the airport staff, it is understood that there are no flames detected on the plane.

“There are no passengers on board.

“We have activated certain protocols to handle the situation. The airport is now running on a normal schedule.”

Air China confirmed the incident on Weibo

Air China also confirmed the incident on the Chinese version of Twitter called Weibo that said the following: “Smoke was detected during boarding in the storage unit of flight CA183, which is set to fly from Beijing to Tokyo.”

Crew evacuated last from the front jet bridge. pic.twitter.com/HM31pj7PRs — ChinaAviationReview (@ChinaAvReview) August 27, 2019

“Crew members and airport staff have successfully put out the smoke. We are investigating the cause of the incident.”

This remains a breaking story which we will update as soon as we receive more news. </s> A passenger aircraft awaiting departure caught on fire in the Capital Airport in Beijing on Tuesday, the airport authority said in a statement on its official Weibo account.

“At about 4 p.m. local time (08:00 GMT), smoke emerged from the cargo compartment of a plane waiting for departure at the Capital Airport. The staff working on the scene confirmed that there was no visible fire on the plane”, the statement said.

The airport added that there were no passengers inside the plane when the fire broke out and that it initiated emergency response procedures to deal with the fire.

Videos circulated on Weibo showed the plane’s roof being burned through and was heavily damaged by the fire.

​A verified aviation blogger, known as FATIII, on Weibo wrote in a post that the plane involved in the fire was suspected to be for the flight CA976 to Singapore and several fire trucks were deployed to put out the fire.

Air China issued a statement shortly after to address the incident through its official Weibo account on Tuesday.

“On August 27 Beijing time, smoke emerged from the cargo compartment when passengers were boarding the flight CA183 from Beijing to Tokyo”, the carrier said.

Suspect cargo holder fire on an Air China A330 at Beijing Capital Airport right now. More to follow. pic.twitter.com/WVYpzErE09

​According to the carrier, the crew took measures to fight the fire and evacuated passengers safely. The cause of the incident is being investigated, the statement added. </s> "At about 4 p.m. local time (08:00 GMT), smoke emerged from the cargo compartment of a plane waiting for departure at the Capital Airport. The staff working on the scene confirmed that there was no visible fire on the plane", the statement said.

The airport added that there were no passengers inside the plane when the fire broke out and that it initiated emergency response procedures to deal with the fire.

Videos circulated on Weibo showed the plane’s roof being burned through and was heavily damaged by the fire.

​A verified aviation blogger, known as FATIII, on Weibo wrote in a post that the plane involved in the fire was suspected to be for the flight CA976 to Singapore and several fire trucks were deployed to put out the fire.

Air China issued a statement shortly after to address the incident through its official Weibo account on Tuesday.

"On August 27 Beijing time, smoke emerged from the cargo compartment when passengers were boarding the flight CA183 from Beijing to Tokyo", the carrier said.

​According to the carrier, the crew took measures to fight the fire and evacuated passengers safely. The cause of the incident is being investigated, the statement added. </s> BEIJING (AP) - Large amounts of smoke billowed from an Air China plane Tuesday as passengers boarded at Beijing's airport.

All passengers were evacuated safely from the plane, which was preparing to fly to Tokyo, Air China said in a statement on its social media page.

The smoke came from the plane's front cargo hold and the crew quickly took firefighting measures, the airline said, adding that the cause is under investigation.

Photographs and videos taken by witnesses showed the top part of the plane cloaked in smoke and heavily damaged.

In 2015, a man attempted to start a fire on board a Chinese flight but was restrained by passengers and crew members and taken into custody. China bans the carrying of cigarette lighters and flammable substances, including spirits, aboard all flights.

In this photo released by a passenger aboard a plane, shows fire engines as they spray an Air China plane parked at the Beijing International Capital Airport in Beijing, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019. Large amounts of smoke have billowed from an Air China plane as passengers were boarding at Beijing's airport. Air China says all passengers were evacuated safely from the plane, which was preparing to fly to Tokyo. (AP Photo) </s> BEIJING (AP) — Large amounts of smoke have billowed from an Air China plane as passengers were boarding at Beijing's airport.

Air China says all passengers were evacuated safely from the plane, which was preparing to fly to Tokyo.

The airline says the smoke came from the plane's front cargo hold and the crew quickly took firefighting measures.

It says the cause of Tuesday's incident is under investigation.

Photographs and videos taken by witnesses showed the top part of the plane cloaked in smoke and heavily damaged. </s> BEIJING — Large amounts of smoke billowed from an Air China plane Tuesday as passengers boarded at Beijing's airport.

All passengers were evacuated safely from the plane, which was preparing to fly to Tokyo, Air China said in a statement on its social media page.

The smoke came from the plane's front cargo hold and the crew quickly took firefighting measures, the airline said, adding that the cause is under investigation.

Photographs and videos taken by witnesses showed the top part of the plane cloaked in smoke and heavily damaged.

In 2015, a man attempted to start a fire on board a Chinese flight but was restrained by passengers and crew members and taken into custody. China bans the carrying of cigarette lighters and flammable substances, including spirits, aboard all flights. </s> Huge plumes of smoke are billowing from an Air China plane at Beijing Capital International Airport.

Shocking video footage shows black smoke rising from the A330 jet as firefighters rush to the scene.

Beijing Capital International Airport has issued a statement confirming a storage unit in the aircraft was producing black smoke.

It reads: "After discussions with the airport staff, it is understood that there are no flames detected on the plane.

"There are no passengers on board.

"We have activated certain protocols to handle the situation. The airport is now running on normal schedule."

Pictures shared by tourists at the boarding area of Terminal 3 at the airport shows a burnt roof at the front of the plane.

Air China confirmed the incident as they posted on Weibo, a Chinese equivalent to Twitter, that read: "Smoke was detected during boarding in the storage unit of flight CA183, which is set to fly from Beijing to Tokyo.

"Crew members and airport staff have successfully put out the smoke.

"We are investigating the cause of the incident."

We'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.

Please check back regularly for updates on this developing story here at Mirror.co.uk .

For the latest news and breaking news visit Mirror.co.uk/news .

Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter @DailyMirror - the official Daily Mirror & Mirror Online Twitter account - real news in real time.

We're also on Facebook /dailymirror - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Mirror Online.
An Air China Airbus A330 preparing to takeoff as Flight 183 catches fire during boarding at Beijing International Airport. Passengers and crew successfully evacuate, but the aircraft is severely damaged.