An Air China Boeing 747-8 scheduled to fly from New York JFK to Beijing was reportedly forced to cancel its flight after a fuel leak occurred during overnight refuelling.

The incident reportedly happened between 1am and 2am on August 31 while the aircraft was parked at the gate. According to Chinese social media reports, the refuelling truck moved away while two hoses were still connected to the aircraft, reportedly damaging the fuel ports and causing fuel to spill onto the tarmac.

Airport personnel were seen inspecting the aircraft and refuelling equipment, while cleanup operations were carried out around the aircraft.

The affected aircraft, registered B-2486, entered service with Air China in 2014 and is a Boeing 747-8 capable of carrying around 365 passengers.

Passengers said they were already boarding when they were ordered off the aircraft. The flight was eventually cancelled, with Air China reportedly citing “fuel guarantee” issues in its cancellation notice rather than directly mentioning the fuel leak or aircraft damage.

No injuries were reported.

The Aviation Safety Network has listed the event but noted that the available information is based on news reports, social media and unofficial sources. Air China had not immediately issued a public statement about the incident.

The flight, CA982, had been scheduled to depart JFK at 2:05am for Beijing.