Cathay Pacific flight diverted to Tokyo to remove ‘unruly passenger’ who verbally abused crew

Flight CX806 from Hong Kong to Chicago was diverted to Tokyo to offload man who had been drinking

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The aircraft was diverted to Narita airport in Tokyo. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 8:58pm, 29 Sep 2024Updated: 10:06pm, 29 Sep 2024

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has diverted a US-bound flight to Japan to remove an “unruly passenger” suspected to have touched cabin crew members and verbally abused them under the influence of alcohol, the Post has learned.

The carrier confirmed that flight CX806 from Hong Kong to Chicago, which departed the city at around 12.30pm on Sunday, had been diverted to Tokyo.

“[The flight] was diverted to Tokyo Narita International Airport due to an unruly passenger. The captain made the decision to divert the flight in accordance with the safety guidelines, and the passenger was escorted off the aircraft by the airport staff,” a Cathay spokesman said.

“Safety guides every decision we make. We sincerely apologise to the affected customers for the inconvenience.”

A source said the passenger involved had transited in Hong Kong from Bangkok on flight CX616, which took off at around 6.30am in Thailand.

The man was disruptive on the Chicago-bound flight as he had been drinking and the cabin crew removed alcohol from him and warned him verbally but he continued to behave in an unruly manner, the insider said.