Cathay Pacific flight from London to Hong Kong delayed by one day due to ‘technical problem’

A Cathay Pacific flight from London to Hong Kong kept passengers on the tarmac for five hours, then evacuated them from the plane due to “technical issues,” with the airline offering them an alternative flight departing a day later, the Post has learned.

The city’s national airline apologized Thursday for the aborted flight the day before and said the faulty plane would be returned to Hong Kong after maintenance, with no customers on board.

The incident came to light after a passenger on board flight CX250, which was due to depart from London’s Heathrow Airport for Hong Kong at 6.20pm UK time on Wednesday, shared the situation with the Post.

The passenger, who asked to remain anonymous, said passengers were told there was a problem with the engine but it was not until around 11pm that they were told to disembark because the problem could not be resolved.

As a result, all passengers had to go through immigration again to collect their luggage and were offered a night at the airport hotel by the airline.

The passenger who spoke to the Post said the delay was “annoying” because the flight cancellation meant she would have to take the alternate flight scheduled to leave Thursday night, which would cause her to miss work on Friday.

His rescheduled flight is due to depart at 6.20pm UK time on Thursday and arrive in Hong Kong at 2.05pm on Friday.

But according to Cathay Pacific’s website, the rescheduled flight will also be delayed by more than two hours, departing London at 8:50 p.m. and arriving in Hong Kong at 3:54 p.m. local time on Friday.

The airline said the delay to the initial flight was due to a “technical issue”.

“The safety of our customers and crew guides every decision we make,” she said. “We sincerely apologize to our affected customers for the inconvenience and thank them for their understanding.”

The airline said it had regularly informed its customers about the situation on the initial flight and had provided meal services while the inspection work was underway.