Delayed Cathay flight returns to Hong Kong after 24-hour grounding in Moscow

Dozens of passengers arrived back in Hong Kong yesterday after their flight was grounded in Moscow for almost 24 hours.

Cathay Pacific flight 204 had been scheduled to leave Moscow at 5.15pm Hong Kong time on Tuesday, but was delayed because of a mechanical failure, which left its 248 passengers stranded.

About 40 per cent of those passengers were able to leave the Russian capital by taking other flights.

However, the rest had to wait at the airport, or at a hotel, with some of them managing to leave only yesterday.

The airline confirmed that by yesterday afternoon, all 248 passengers had departed on flights to Hong Kong or other destinations.

Cathay said a fault occurred in the hydraulic system of the Airbus A340 aircraft's landing gear.

A replacement part had to be flown in before the aircraft could be repaired, it said.