Flight fright: Air Canada-Thailand flight detours to Hong Kong as passenger falls ill

An Air Canada flight destined for Bangkok was forced to make an emergency diversion to Hong Kong after a passenger fell ill onboard. The Air Canada Boeing 787, which operates flights between Vancouver and Bangkok, declared an emergency on February 4, prompting its redirection to Hong Kong.

Flight AC65, a routine scheduled service, is typically operated between Vancouver and Bangkok and was conducted by the aircraft registration C-FRSE.

Departing Vancouver at 11.10pm local time on February 4, Flight AC65 was en route to Bangkok when it encountered the need for an emergency descent upon entering Hong Kong airspace, accompanied by a squawk of the 7700 code. The aircraft successfully landed in Hong Kong at 4.54 am ICT following the emergency.

Information from @FlightEmergency on X suggests that the emergency was triggered by a medical-related incident onboard, necessitating the activation of the 7700 squawk code, which indicates a critical situation requiring priority landing.

Once the affected passenger was safely offloaded, Flight AC65, originally bound from Vancouver to Bangkok, resumed its journey. Departing Hong Kong at 8.13am, the aircraft landed at the Thai airport at 9.41am, allowing the flight to conclude its disrupted journey.

According to data from Planespotters.net, C-FRSE is a 7.1-year-old Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner that was delivered to the Canadian carrier in January 2017. Air Canada boasts a fleet of 31 Boeing 787-9 variants, with 28 currently in active service and three parked, resulting in an average age of 6.7 years.

In related news, last week a Thai Airways captain faced criticism over a decision to divert a Bangkok-Melbourne flight to Sydney due to poor visibility, sparking online debate.

The incident occurred on January 28 when the flight was unable to land in Melbourne as planned. A passenger, claiming extensive flying experience, posted a complaint on Facebook accusing the captain of not carrying enough fuel and lacking assertiveness with air traffic control (ATC).