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Cathay flight delayed after cleaner triggers emergency slide
20th of July 2015A blunder by airport cleaning staff triggered an emergency slide of a Cathay Pacific jet to inflate, delaying 277 travellers travelling from Hong Kong to Chicago.
Ground crew and cleaning staff were preparing the flight for departure when the slide was activated. No passengers were on board at the time.
The plane was immediately taken out of service for inspection - a normal procedure following deployment of a slide - and passengers were forced to wait for a replacement Boeing 777.
"We suspect that there was a procedural error by a staff member from our cleaning services provider. It had nothing to do with any technical issues," an airline spokeswoman said, apologising for any inconvenience caused.