Vietjet Air Flight VJ982 was forced to make an emergency landing in Hong Kong around 1 a.m. on Tuesday while en route from Hanoi to Gimhae after crew detected an issue with the aircraft.

According to aviation authorities, the flight destined for Gimhae International Airport made a sudden detour to Hong Kong about an hour and 10 minutes after takeoff. The crew reportedly told Gimhae authorities that it was experiencing technical problems with the aircraft due to poor maintenance. 



The plane, carrying some 198 passengers, is said to have landed safely. However, some passengers were concerned that they had not been told the reason for the emergency landing.

“We never got an official explanation or apology from the airline. We have been waiting in the hallways at the airport without a clue of what’s going on,” one passenger said.

A spokesperson for Gimhae Airport said the Vietjet flight was supposed to arrive in Busan around 7 a.m., but the airline has not provided any updates on a replacement flight.

By Catherine Chung (cec82@heraldcorp.com)