Air Astana: Сеул → Астана. Но мы вынуждено сели в Пекине. Что случилось?

Air Astana flight from Seoul (ICN) to Astana (NQZ) on an Airbus A321neo and the adventure when everything did not go according to plan — due to a failure of the lavatories (vacuum system), the aircraft performed a forced landing in Beijing (PEK). In this video — waiting for news at the airport, passenger service (water/meals/accommodation), changes to departure plans and a delay of more than 24 hours before we finally reached Astana. The video begins in Seoul, South Korea: I figure out the metro and the TMoney transport card, which can be purchased with a bank card but can only be topped up with cash. For this, you first need to find a currency exchange. I capture the contrasts of the districts, traffic jams similar to Moscow, and shopping on Myeongdong street where there turned out to be many cosmetic stores, and in general this area is all about cosmetics, and there is also a central store or temple of new technologies in creams and so on — Olive Garden. I visit the Leeum Museum of Modern Art (Samsung Museum of Art) and the famous Starfield Library, watching how Koreans actually work and read in a shopping mall. It turned out to be a real library and not just a tourist attraction. Next, I want to see old Seoul in Bukchon Hanok Village, but I do not make it before closing because it operates until 5 PM, and in the video I also talk a little about Seoul’s bold modern architecture. Early wake-up in the Mapo district. I do not want to miss the Air Astana departure since the metro starts running at 6 AM and the flight is at 9 AM, so I call an Uber, a driver arrives in a new KIA model, and I go to Incheon Airport (ICN, Terminal 1). I show the departure board and Air Astana check-in, which turned out to be at the very end of the terminal. Then security screening and passport control. After that, boarding the Airbus A321neo: cabin review, an interesting business class where the number of seats per row alternates and you can choose a row with your own throne (a single seat), and economy class, seat pitch, power outlets, seatback entertainment screens, menu, a nice amenity kit, blankets and hot wet towels after takeoff, meals and drinks. On FlightRadar24 I see that the A321neo usually flies almost 8 hours on this route, which is almost a long-haul distance on a narrow-body aircraft. This will be my first flight over such a distance on this type of aircraft. The most interesting part begins in the air: a couple of hours after departure from Seoul, the Air Astana flight to Astana suddenly turns around. The captain reports a malfunction because all lavatories on board have stopped working (a problem with the vacuum system), so we perform a forced landing in Beijing, Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK). We arrive at a remote stand: we sit in the cabin for a long time, wait for technicians, observe repair attempts and aircraft servicing (including the arrival of a special lavatory service truck and refueling). Then the pilot announces the suspension of the flight, disembarkation by buses and a separate waiting area in the terminal: waiting for news, water and snacks, communication with Air Astana representatives, restrictions on leaving the airport even for passengers without visas (non-scheduled flight) since we arrived in China on a non-scheduled flight and the airline is trying to obtain approval from the authorities. Constant postponements of departure time. After coordination with the Chinese authorities, everyone fills out an entry form/QR for China, then we go through passport control, organized transfer to a hotel from the airline, dinner and overnight stay at the hotel. The hotel was good. We were accommodated at the Beijing China - Germany International Convention and Exhibition Center Hotel. Filmed and edited by me personally. Editing in Final Cut. Filming and flight — January 2026. Thank you very much for watching my video. Video Chapters: 00:00 Seoul. City walk. Leeum Museum. Myeongdong shopping street. Starfield Library. 03:15 LOTTE City Hotel Mapo. Trip to the airport. 04:29 Air Astana check-in. Control at ICN. 05:34 Air Astana flight from Seoul to Astana on Airbus A321Neo. Boarding. Cabin review. 08:35 Takeoff from Seoul ICN Airport. 10:30 Service and food on Air Astana. 11:29 Failure of all lavatories on the aircraft. Forced landing at Beijing Airport (PEK). 13:25 Waiting for news about the malfunction, disembarkation from the aircraft, waiting for updates. 19:52 Air Astana representative. News and preparation for transfer to a hotel overnight. 21:23 Temporary hotel during aircraft repair. Hotel review. 22:50 Departure to the airport for the flight to Astana the next day. Check-in and Terminal 2 of Capital Airport. 24:13 Air Astana continuation of the flight to Astana. Lavatories repaired. System check. Takeoff. 27:22 Service on the Air Astana flight to Astana. 29:55 Landing at Astana Airport (NQZ). Airport cafeteria.