A major has issued a formal apology after a three-year-old boy was mistakenly served white wine instead of water aboard a flight to London.

The incident occurred on April 24 during flight CX255 from to London, with the young boy seated in business class alongside his parents. According to the boy's mother, surnamed Wong, the mix-up was only discovered when the child complained that his "water" tasted sour, prompting his parents to take a sip and realise he had been served alcohol. Wong, who later shared the story on Chinese social media platform RedNote, told the that Cathay Pacific had failed to fully explain how the mistake happened or what steps it was taking to prevent a repeat.

"During the whole process, there was a lack of care for my son," she said. "They gave me the impression that they were trying to shirk responsibility."

While the boy showed no immediate symptoms and the parents have not sought medical treatment, they say they remain concerned about possible long-term health effects.

Cathay has since offered to refund the child's ticket, provide three first-class upgrade vouchers, and cover the cost of any medical checks.

In a statement, a Cathay Pacific spokesperson said the airline "sincerely apologises" for the incident and confirmed that a full internal review has taken place.

"We take this matter very seriously," the spokesperson said. "We have implemented appropriate follow-up actions and continue to support the family."

The spokesperson added that cabin crew acted promptly, paging onboard medical personnel and consulting with a ground-based medical advisory service.

A French doctor who happened to be on the flight assessed the child and said he would be fine, even remarking that children in his country as young as five were permitted to drink alcohol, a comment that did little to reassure the concerned parents.

Cathay's email response to the family stated that immediate coaching had been provided to the flight crew, and internal measures, including notifying the pilot, had been taken.