Cathay Pacific diverts Hong Kong-New York flight to Tokyo after passenger falls ill

Cathay Pacific Airways has diverted a Hong Kong-to-New York flight to Tokyo after a passenger reported feeling unwell during the journey.

Hong Kong’s flag carrier on Sunday confirmed the diversion of flight CX840, which left the city at around 6.25pm on Saturday.

“Flight CX840 from Hong Kong to New York JFK on [Saturday] was diverted to Tokyo Haneda to offload a customer who became unwell during the flight. The aircraft landed safely at 1.44am local time on [Sunday],” a Cathay Pacific spokesman told the Post in a written reply.

The carrier said local airport staff sent the passenger to a hospital for further medical treatment.

Other passengers were put up in a local hotel as the flight had to stay overnight at the airport due to “the statutory requirement on crew operation and rest hours set by the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department”, the spokesman added.

The carrier did not reveal how many passengers were affected by the diversion.