Dozens of angry passengers were left without accommodation after Cathay Pacific Airways cancelled a flight from New York to Hong Kong at the last minute because of a “technical issue”, the Post has learned, and the airline must now submit an investigation report to aviation authorities.
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The cancellation, which was announced to affected passengers an hour after flight CX843 was scheduled to depart at 1.55am (New York time), left passengers scrambling to find hotels without any offer of support from the airline, according to affected users on social media. They were later told to board another flight a day and a half later.
The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) told the Post this week that Cathay had notified it about the incident and would “submit an investigation report in accordance with the reporting system under the Air Navigation (Hong Kong) Order 1995.”
The regulation outlines a mandatory reporting system for incidents and occurrences related to aircraft operations in Hong Kong, requiring airlines to report specified incidents to the CAD within 96 hours.
“The CAD will continue to closely monitor the operating and maintenance standards of our local airlines to ensure that the relevant safety standards and requirements are met,” it said.
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Images posted by an angry passenger on Chinese social media platform RedNote showed dozens of customers surrounding Cathay staff at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s gate counter in New York and inquiring about the flight last Saturday.