The Airbus A330 took off at 00:52 and ran out of fuel at 10,500 meters above sea level at 05:45 over the Atlantic Ocean after five hours of flight.
Captain Robert Piché and First Officer Dirk de Jager managed to fly the Airbus without fuel and landed at Lajes Air Base on Terceira Island in the Azores, Portugal at 06:45.
The landing resulted in 18 minor injuries, but all 306 people survived.
In 2002, Piché and de Jager were awarded the Superior Airmanship Award by the Air Line Pilots Association in recognition of their extraordinary skill in successfully landing an Airbus A330.
Pictured are Captain Robert Piché and First Officer Dirk de Jager at a press conference in 2002.
The investigation accepted that the fuel shortage was caused by a maintenance error, as a pipe had been incorrectly fitted to the starboard engine, causing the fuel leak.
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