Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific told to investigate how woman managed to get on plane, reportedly without boarding pass
- Cathay Pacific confirms ‘unauthorised access during boarding’ of its aircraft, which did not take off with passenger on board, in Tokyo
- Airline says Japanese police took passenger into custody; Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department demands investigation and follow-up report
Hong Kong authorities have demanded flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways investigate how a passenger, reportedly without a boarding pass, managed to get on a plane scheduled to fly from Tokyo to the city.
The Civil Aviation Department issued the request on Sunday, with Cathay Pacific confirming the “unauthorised access during the boarding” of its aircraft at Narita International Airport in Tokyo, which took place on Thursday. The flight did not take off with the passenger on board, according to the carrier.
“We have requested the company to follow up with appropriate means and investigate the incident, as well as submit a report to the department,” a spokeswoman for the department said in a reply to media.
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According to press reports, the incident involved a female passenger who was frequently trying to change seats and unable to show her boarding pass or passport. She was reportedly holding a white plastic bag and had covered her face with her hair.
In its reply to the Post, Cathay said its staff immediately sought assistance from Japanese police, which later took the person into custody. The pilot requested all passengers to disembark the plane for a security check under the company’s standard procedures.
The flight, CX521, eventually arrived in Hong Kong at 10.22pm on Thursday.
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According to aircraft tracking website Flightradar24, the flight landed around an hour late. It was scheduled to depart Tokyo at 4.45pm but only took off at 6.27pm.
A flight from Narita to Hong Kong normally takes 4 hours and 45 minutes, according to Cathay’s website.
The airline also apologised to passengers for the delay and inconvenience caused.
Separately, Cathay cancelled 16 flights on New Year’s Eve.
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Among the cancellations were six departures to destinations including Bangkok, Beijing, Seoul and Melbourne, as well as 10 arrivals from places such as Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai and Sydney.
The carrier on Thursday said it had decided to cancel “a small amount” of flights to ensure service delivery following the seasonal illnesses affecting pilots.
It added that the total number of cancellations since mid-December was less than 1 per cent of all passenger flights operated.
But Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association, a union representing the airline’s cockpit crew, said the cancellations stemmed from a staff shortage caused by pandemic-related lay-offs, a situation which could take years to fix.
