NewsWorld newsEmirates AirlineMore than 300 passengers were stranded on board an Emirates Airbus A380 at an airport in China for more than 10 hours after the plane was diverted due to severe thunderstorms, according to reports15:18, 29 Jul 2026Updated 15:36, 29 Jul 2026More than 300 passengers were stranded on board an Emirates plane on the tarmac of an airport for more than 10 hours, reports claim.‌Flight EK302 was approaching Shanghai, China's most populated city, from Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, when severe thunderstorms forced the crew to divert the aircraft to the nearby Chinese city Hangzhou on July 22.‌The Airbus A380 - the world's largest passenger airliner - landed safely at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport at about 9pm local time. By road, the airport is only about 110 miles from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, where the Emirates flight was due to land.‌But what should have been a minor disruption turned into a nightmare, with 373 passengers stuck on board the plane while it was parked at the airport until about 7.30am the following morning.‌Passengers have complained to local media about the sweltering conditions inside the cabin, where the air-conditioning system reportedly lost power at 3am. Others have accused the airline of giving them limited information during the ordeal.According to news outlet South China Morning Post, Emirates crew had planned to wait for weather conditions at Shanghai Pudong International Airport to improve before continuing the journey.Because it was assumed that the plane would only be in Hangzhou for a brief period, immigration procedures were not immediately arranged to process the 373 passengers. Border control delays are said to have also held up the process of allowing passengers to disembark.Article continues belowBy the time passengers and crew were finally allowed to leave the aircraft, they had spent more than 17 hours on board - around seven hours in the air and another 10-and-a-half hours parked on the tarmac.Emirates has reportedly apologised to its affected customers and said passengers were provided with meals, hotels and shuttle buses to Shanghai.The Mirror has contacted Emirates for further information.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌EmiratesChinaEmirates AirlineAir travel