Passengers stranded on plane overnight
Hundreds of passengers were forced to spend a night grounded onboard a Dragonair plane when it was diverted due to a heavy storm.
The Hong Kong-bound flight had taken off from Shanghai but was forced to divert to nearby Shenzhen airport when it was told heavy rain in Hong Kong meant it would be unable to land there.
A power failure then prevented the flight from continuing when the storm died down and the 252 passengers were forced to stay on the plane, on the tarmac, at Shenzhen for seven hours.
A friend of the crew told the South China Morning Post newspaper they had only 1.5 litres of water between them.
The airline said in a statement: "The initial plan was to re-depart to Hong Kong as soon as the weather condition allowed… regrettably, the delay was further extended when there were technical problems with the aircraft’s auxiliary power unit.
"’We sincerely apologise that as Shenzhen is not an operating port for Dragonair, the deplaning process (took) longer than expected because of constraints in local ground handling and immigration clearance."
A ‘special clearance’ was obtained on Monday morning to let passengers disembark, some 11 hours after departure.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025