Passengers aboard a Cathay Pacific flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong endured a nightmare journey that may have just broken the record for the world’s longest commercial flight – but not in distance.
Flight CX883 took off from LAX at 12:55 am on August 4 with nearly 300 passengers onboard, expecting a 13-hour transpacific trip.
But a freak weather event over Hong Kong turned the flight into a 29-hour ordeal in the sky – and on the tarmac.
Just as the 15-year-old Boeing 777 descended to 5,000 feet for final approach into Hong Kong International Airport, torrential rainfall forced pilots to abort the landing.
The city was slammed with more than 13.8 inches of rain in mere hours, prompting officials to issue a rare ‘black’ rainstorm warning – the territory’s most severe weather alert and the highest August rainfall since 1884.
Unable to land, the aircraft diverted to Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport – but instead of letting passengers disembark, Cathay Pacific kept them onboard for another 11 grueling hours, citing international laws and immigration restrictions.
The viral video of the chaos was posted on Threads by aviation engineer @mfahadnaimb who was onboard. The footage showed cabin reactions to turbulence and a storm-wracked flight map looping across Asia.
But passengers weren’t laughing for long.
Trapped on a plane parked on a remote stand, with dwindling food, no fresh air, and nowhere to go, tempers began to fray.
Some blamed ‘2nd air freedom’ restrictions – an international rule that allows technical landings but forbids passenger disembarkation.
Others pointed to insurance limitations and Cathay Pacific’s reluctance to process hundreds of international travelers through Taiwanese customs.
Even the crew were reportedly stretched to their limits, according to @mfahadnaimb: ‘A lot of passengers were anxious and wanted to get off the plane. Plus, dealing with complaints and requests for food and drinks would make things even tougher for the flight attendants.’
Eventually, the airline had to swap out the pilots and cabin crew during the layover to ensure they were legally fit to operate the final leg.
After sitting for hours on the Taiwanese tarmac, the aircraft finally resumed its journey, landing in Hong Kong at 7:15 pm on August 5 – a staggering 28 hours and 20 minutes after departure.
Daily Mail reached out to Cathay Pacific for comment. The airline has not yet issued a statement about the debacle.
While weather delays are often unavoidable, critics say the airline’s handling of the diversion – including its decision to trap nearly 300 people on board for more than a full day – deserves scrutiny.
