Passengers were trapped inside a plane overnight for 11 hours due to poor weather. Hundreds were stranded inside the grounded Dragonair plane because their plane couldn't land in Hong Kong.
Flight KA875 had departed from Shanghai at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday carrying 252 passengers. However the flight was diverted to nearby Shenzhen airport because Hong Kong was hit with heavy rains and hail.
The plane was also affected by a power failure, adding an extra delay as the plane couldn't continue on to Hong Kong even when the weather was better. As a result, the passengers were forced to stay in the plane on the tarmac for seven hours, a spokeswoman for parent airline Cathay Pacific told AFP.
"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 in a written statement according to AFP.
"We sincerely apologise 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.
The passengers on the flight didn't have much food or water, which caused some to express anger to the flight crew. Some tried to leave the plane but were restrained by flight attendants that were guarding the cabin door, according to the South China Morning Post.
The airline was given a special clearance on Monday to let the passengers off of the plane, almost 11 hours after the plane had originally departed.
Hong Kong's storm was so bad on Sunday that officials issued a "black" rainstorm warning, which is the highest possible level. This meant that residents were advised to stay indoors and refrain from any travel. There were several reports of landslides and flooding. The storm caused more than 500 flights to be delayed.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
