An EVA Air flight to Taiwan returned to Hong Kong International Airport last night after its captain tried and failed to land it twice while deadly Typhoon Megi lashed the Taiwanese capital.
Flight BR856 departed from HKIA at 7:23pm yesterday, according to FlightAware. It reached Taoyuan Airport at around 8:44pm and attempted to land twice, but failed due to the unstable weather.
The aircraft returned at HKIA at around 10:05pm. EVA Air told affected travellers that they’d be able to take a flight to Taoyuan the next morning, a passenger told Apple Daily. However, she criticised the airline for leaving passengers from Hong Kong effectively stranded at the airport overnight while non-resident passengers were given access to VIP lounges.
The disgruntled passenger further slammed EVA Air for jeopardising its customers’ safety by continuing to operate Taiwan-bound routes, in contrast to carriers such as Cathay Pacific and Dragonair, which cancelled flights to Taiwan in anticipation of the typhoon.
While Hong Kong has been largely unaffected by Typhoon Megi, the cyclone killed at least four people and injured around 500 in Taipei yesterday before moving onto mainland China, according to Taiwan News.
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