Overview
- Emirates Flight EK302 diverted from Shanghai Pudong to Hangzhou Xiaoshan because severe thundery weather made landing at Pudong unsafe on July 22.
- After the diversion, passengers and crew were kept on board and reported being aboard for about 17 hours in total, including roughly a 10‑hour ordeal on the ground in Hangzhou.
- Crew decisions to wait for Pudong to reopen rather than ask Hangzhou to start immigration procedures meant processing was delayed and the flight eventually exceeded standard crew duty‑time limits.
- A last‑minute crew swap and rising technical problems — including reported air‑conditioning failure and other mechanical issues — forced the carrier to disembark passengers and ground the A380 for repairs.
- The episode produced immediate human costs such as fainting and ambulance calls, hotel relocations for passengers, an apology from Emirates, and a reputational hit for Hangzhou as the city seeks more intercontinental services.