Cathay Pacific has confirmed that its passenger plane crew witnessed what appears to be a re-entry of the North Korean missile, launched on November 29, 2017. The flight crew of Korean Airlines also reportedly witnessed the military test.

North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile test was witnessed by the flight crew of CX893 en route from San Francisco to Hong Kong on November 29, 2017, while the plane was flying over Japan.

Cathay Pacific told the Business Insider that the launch did not affect the flight and although it informed other airlines and aviation authorities about the incident “at the moment, no one is changing any routes or operating parameters”.

In fact, another Cathay’s plane was closer to the missile location. The cargo plane on flight CX096 was “literally” just a few hundred miles, Mark Hoey, Cathay Pacific’s general manager of operations, confirmed.

Similarly, two captains of Korean Airlines flying from the US West Coast to South Korea also reported witnessing “flashes”. According to South China Morning Post, at the time of the missile launch, there were also aircraft of China Airlines and All Nippon Airways in the area.

North Korea announced successfully launching its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile on November 29, 2017. The Hwasong-15 ICBM has the greatest range of all previous North Korean missiles and is reportedly capable of reaching the US. The ICBM reached 4-4.5 thousand kilometers altitude, flew 950 kilometers distance and spent 53 minutes in air.