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Cathay said that 'at no point were passengers or staff put at risk' over the incident. Photo: AFP

Cathay flight to Hong Kong was abandoned just minutes before takeoff after pilot found with knives

Travellers forced to stay in seats for more than two hours after flight was cancelled

A fully-loaded Cathay Pacific flight from London Heathrow to Hong Kong was aborted just minutes before it was due to take off after a pilot was found to have knives in his hand luggage, a passenger on the plane has revealed.

Travellers were forced to wait in their seats for more than two hours before they were finally told the flight was cancelled, said Clare Furness, who was returning to the city following a fortnight in the UK.

"We all got on board and they said we would be taxiing in nine minutes. Then we were left waiting on the tarmac for more than two hours. They didn't get us off the flight until gone midnight, then they said 'this flight is cancelled'.

"They just told us there were crew issues. The captain said 'apologies for everything that has happened'. He said they tried to get another pilot but they couldn't get there on time."

The passengers were herded into a hotel where they checked in and their flight was rescheduled for 2.30pm on Sunday.

The knives were discovered when the pilot of flight 254 went through security checks before he got on the plane.

The Boeing 777 was scheduled to depart for Hong Kong at 10.20pm with 262 passengers on board. Passengers finally arrived yesterday morning.

Metropolitan Police officers were called to the staff check area at the airport at around 9.10pm, where a member of the flight crew was "in possession of some knives", according to a report by .

"A member of the flight crew, a man, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and possession of a knife … in a public place," a police spokesman told the newspaper.

The pilot was taken into custody at a police station where he was later bailed to return in mid-May, pending further inquiries. The Met's crime investigation division is working on the case.

Cathay Pacific refused to disclose details such as how long the pilot had worked for the airline and whether he had been suspended following the incident.

"We will continue to cooperate with the authorities for the investigation," an airline spokesman said.

The airline apologised for the delay and inconvenience caused to the passengers. It helped passengers with overnight accommodation and arranged another flight on Sunday afternoon.

A Cathay pilot who asked not to be named said security checks at most airports was more lax for pilots than for passengers, but Heathrow was an exception.

In some European and US airports, he said, pilots were allowed to bring sharp items such as scissors and nail clippers on board.

"But you can't do that in the UK. Not even toothbrushes and toothpaste. We always say that Heathrow Airport is the strictest airport in the world," he said.

"The UK is so strict because they don't want anyone to pretend to be pilots. When we go through security checkpoints there, the officers look at the picture on our passports very carefully."

He said every pilot knew knives were banned on planes.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Pilot arrested for carrying knives
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