Through the roof: passenger causes three-hour delay on Hong Kong flight to Bangkok after mistakenly tearing off part of ceiling
Traveller thought he was opening an overhead luggage bin on a new Cathay Pacific Airbus A350; the flight left three hours late after repairs
A hapless traveller delayed fellow passengers by three hours after he mistakenly tore off a section of ceiling on a brand new Cathay Pacific aircraft on Wednesday.
The 280 passengers on the flight to Bangkok by an Airbus A350 on Wednesday morning were forced to wait while engineers carried out repairs to the aircraft before it was cleared for take-off.
The unnamed traveller, seated towards the rear of the plane, had attempted to open an overhead luggage bin, but instead managed to pull off a piece of ceiling panel, exposing a redundant space above and causing serious damage to the plane.
Engineers managed to repair the piece, but flight CX705 took off three hours late.
It is believed the passenger was allowed to continue on the flight without sanction.
Most airlines use signs on their aircraft to inform passengers not to open the non-existent overhead bins, but this aircraft did not.