Cathay Pacific San Francisco-bound flight cancels takeoff after suspected technical issue

A Cathay Pacific flight bound for San Francisco aborted takeoff at the Hong Kong International Airport early Thursday morning after smoke was reported coming from one of the engines.

The incident happened at around 1 am, with the plane taxied back to its parking gate after the cancellation of departure. 

Firetrucks and ambulances were deployed to the scene, but no smoke was seen.

The flight giant later arranged for the affected passengers to depart to San Francisco at 4 pm and apologized for the incident. 

Cathay said in a statement the concerned flight CX872 returned to its parking gate while all passengers were provided accommodation in the hotel at the airport.

It added that no technical issues were found after the inspection by the engineering team.

It noted that white smoke could be seen when the Airbus model A350-900's engines operate at low Revolutions Per Minute when the plane is on the ground, which is normal. It said the incident did not affect the safety of the passengers and the crew members.