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Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture had to temporarily close one of its two runways on Tuesday after an American cargo plane was forced to make an emergency landing due to a problem with its hydraulic system. The Atlas Air Boeing 747, which was en route to Los Angeles, had to return to Narita when the problem was discovered at around 1:10 a.m., a transport ministry spokesman said.

The spokesman confirmed that the seven crew members on board the Boeing 747 were unharmed, but the aircraft sustained damage. Tires and wheels were damaged during landing. Runway A at Narita Airport was subsequently closed for at least seven hours to resolve the situation.

Despite the closure, airport officials reported minimal disruption to other flights. The runway was expected to reopen at 8:30 a.m. after necessary repairs, including replacing the damaged tires, were completed.

This incident follows another runway closure at Narita just a day earlier when a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a brake malfunction during landing. On Monday, Narita’s runway B was closed for nearly an hour after the Singapore Airlines plane reported smoke coming from its brakes during landing at around 7:40 a.m. Although fire trucks and ambulances were dispatched, no fire was found and no injuries were reported.

Atlas Air’s emergency landing and Singapore Airlines’ brake problem are unrelated, but both incidents underscore the importance of safety protocols at the busy international airport. No further details have been released yet about the specific mechanical problem on Atlas Air’s Boeing 747.

Narita Airport officials continue to closely monitor the situation to ensure that all safety procedures are followed and disruption to flight operations is kept to a minimum.