Komatsu Airport (KMQ) in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, temporarily closed its runway on the morning of October 5 after damage was discovered, forcing several inbound flights to divert, return to their departure airports or be canceled. EVA Air flight BR158 from Taiwan was also affected. After reaching airspace near Komatsu and being unable to land, the aircraft remained airborne for a period before abandoning the approach and returning to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE).
Japan Air Self-Defense Force's Komatsu Air Base said a foreign object was found on the runway at around 9:40 a.m. local time, and a subsequent inspection confirmed pavement damage significant enough to affect aircraft operations. According to Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the damaged area measured roughly 40 by 40 centimeters and about 4 centimeters deep. The runway was closed from around 10:40 a.m. while emergency repairs were carried out by the Self-Defense Forces.
BR158 was scheduled to depart Taoyuan at 6:35 a.m. Taipei time and arrive at Komatsu at 10:25 a.m. Japan time, with an Airbus A330-300 operating the flight. Flight data indicates that the aircraft actually departed Taoyuan at about 6:56 a.m. and later approached the Komatsu area, but the runway closure prevented it from landing at its destination.
Flight-tracking services list BR158 as a diverted or return flight. Although Komatsu was the original destination, the aircraft ultimately returned to Taoyuan and landed at approximately 12:21 p.m. Taipei time. From its morning departure until its return, passengers spent more than five hours aboard the aircraft on a round trip that never resulted in an arrival in Japan.
Some online posts claimed BR158 remained near Komatsu until reaching 'minimum fuel' before turning back. However, publicly available official information and major flight-tracking sources do not confirm that the crew declared minimum fuel or entered any specific fuel-alert condition. That claim should therefore not be treated as established fact. Likewise, there is no publicly available flight-plan information confirming whether Taoyuan had originally been designated as the flight's formal alternate airport.
Komatsu Airport later completed runway repairs. Japan Airlines and local media reported that the runway reopened at around 1:34 p.m. Japan time, roughly two hours earlier than an initial estimate of 3:40 p.m. The disruption caused at least 10 flights to be canceled, diverted or otherwise affected. Among them, a Japan Airlines flight from Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Komatsu diverted to Chubu Centrair International Airport (NGO), while an All Nippon Airways service diverted to Toyama Airport (TOY).
Because BR158 had already decided to return to Taoyuan before the runway reopened, EVA Air still needed to arrange onward transportation for affected passengers. Whether travelers qualify for flight-delay, itinerary-change or other travel-insurance benefits depends on the wording of each policy, including how it defines a return to the origin airport, the length of the delay and any subsequent replacement flight. A return to the departure airport alone does not automatically establish eligibility for a particular insurance payout.
