A man aged 51 passed away on a Cathay Pacific flight traveling from Manchester to Hong Kong. The incident occurred on flight CX216, which took off from Manchester Airport at 11:04 am BST on Thursday and landed at Hong Kong International Airport at 6:53 am HKT on Friday (11:53 pm BST on Thursday). Hong Kong authorities were alerted by air traffic controllers around 6:15 am local time after a passenger was reported to have collapsed on board.

A post-mortem examination is currently being conducted to ascertain the cause of death. The individual has been identified as Mr. Chen in local reports.

Reports from HK01 indicate that Mr. Chen, an insurance broker who had relocated to the UK with his family, had been battling cancer since mid-last year. He frequently traveled between Hong Kong and the UK for medical appointments and business engagements.

According to HK01, Mr. Chen informed his wife of feeling unwell during the flight, and she monitored his condition regularly. Approximately two hours before landing, she noticed his unresponsiveness.

A spokesperson from Hong Kong’s flag carrier, as quoted by the South China Morning Post, stated that immediate first aid was administered by the crew and an onboard doctor to the passenger. Upon arrival, an ambulance was summoned, and paramedics boarded the aircraft to assist.