The United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai – with 257 passengers and 13 crew members onboard – was redirected to San Francisco after the error was discovered, CNN reports.

A number of Chinese social media users posted on RedNote about the pilot’s intercom announcement, in which they said he openly admitted having forgotten his passport.

A spokesperson for United Airlines said: “The pilot did not have their passport onboard. We arranged for a new crew to take our customers to their destination that evening.”

The passengers, who experienced a six-hour delay in arriving in Shanghai, “were provided with meal vouchers and compensation”, the airline added.