Passengers locked in plane after diversion
Print Edition
HUNDREDS of passengers were locked inside a grounded Dragonair plane overnight when a massive storm prevented them landing in Hong Kong, the airline’s parent company confirmed yesterday.
Flight KA875 took off from Shanghai at 6:30pm on Sunday with 252 passengers on board but was diverted to Shenzhen when Hong Kong was deluged by rain and hail.
A power failure stopped the flight from continuing on to its intended destination when conditions improved, and passengers were forced to stay on the tarmac for seven hours, a spokeswoman for Cathay Pacific, which owns Dragonair, said.
“The initial plan was to re-depart to Hong Kong as soon as the weather condition allowed... regrettably, the delay was further extended when there were technical problems with the aircraft’s auxiliary power unit,” the spokeswoman said.
“We sincerely apologize that as Shenzhen is not an operating port for Dragonair, the deplaning process (took) longer than expected because of constraints in local ground handling and immigration clearance,” she said.
Stranded passengers were left with little food and water, leading some to shout at the crew, while others were restrained from leaving by attendants, the South China Morning Post reported.
A “special clearance” was obtained yesterday morning to let passengers alight, some 11 hours after departure.
Sunday’s storm saw Hong Kong authorities issue a “black” rainstorm warning, the highest level, advising residents to shelter indoors and refrain from all travel.
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