Airlines officials say smoke detected in the aircraft caused the Boeing 777 to divert to the Eareckson Air Station on the island of Shemya.
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Cabin smoke forced a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong with almost 300 people on board into an emergency landing on a remote Alaska island. The aircraft is now safely on ground. Company spokeswoman Jennifer Pearson did not know when the plane was set to depart, but says another plane is flying in from Hong Kong to pick up the passengers in Anchorage at a few point.
They added that the Boeing 777 was inspected and deemed safe to fly again.
Shemya Island is at the western tip of the Aleutians chain and is marked by small hills and regularly buffeted by strong winds. The runway was repaved in 2010. The rocky island, about two miles by four miles, has a 10,000-foot landing strip-large enough for the biggest military cargo jets-and pretty much nothing else.
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“But it’s something that we’re prepared for”, Flores said.
