CNN
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Sometimes, a massive typo is right in front of your eyes and you can’t see it.
For Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific, it was between the “i”s – on the livery of its Boeing 777-367.
Photos have emerged that appear to show a plane on the ground at Hong Kong International Airport, proudly emblazoned with the words “CATHAY PACIIC.”
And to prove that it’s a good sport, if not necessarily a good speller, Cathay Pacific shared the photos on social media, announcing on its Twitter account: “Oops this special livery won’t last long! She’s going back to the shop!”
The photos surfaced via the Hong Kong Aviation Discussion Board Facebook group, but it’s still not clear just how such an epic mix-up could have happened – and some are a little suspicious.
An engineer for Haeco, a Cathay Pacific subsidiary, told the South China Morning Post: “The spacing is too on-point for a mishap. We have stencils. Should be a blank gap in between letters if it was a real mistake I think.”
A spokesperson for Cathay Pacific told CNN Travel: “We did not intend to make it a big fuss in the first place, but photos went viral within the aviation enthusiastic groups, so we just shared the hilarious moment with everyone.”
The Guardian reports that the plane had been flying overnight from Xiamen in China, arriving in Hong Kong in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Twitter users were quick to savor this most titanic of typos.
“No f’s were given that day,” quipped Aghiad Haloul, while Frank L asked if “CATHAY PACFFC” was on the other side of the fuselage.
Although others, such as Mike Cooper, were alarmed by apparent lack of attention to detail.
While a full report of this mysterious incident is not yet available, Cathay Pacific told CNN Travel, “We are not having many chances to have such ‘limited edition,’ right?”
Courtesy Alaska Airlines
The best airplane liveries: Pop culture tie-ins are one of the airline industry's favorite reasons to deck out a plane in a fancy new coat of paint. Here are a few of our favorites. The latest airline to join in on the fun is Alaska Airlines, who debuted a new plane in honor of "The Incredibles 2."
Shutterstock
Nok Air -- Birds: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Thailand's Nok Air has settled this question once and for all: it's a bird plane.
Courtesy Shanghai Disney Resort
China Eastern -- 'Toy Story': This movie-airplane tie-in makes a perfect excuse to say "to infinity and beyond!"
Daniel Slim/AFP/Getty Images
Alaska Airlines -- Eskimo: Alaska Airlines' Eskimo logo isn't based on any one person; he's designed to
represent native Alaskans.
Air New Zealand/Getty Images
Air New Zealand -- 'Lord of the Rings': The "Lord of the Rings" phenomenon transformed the Kiwi travel industry, so it was fitting that national carrier Air New Zealand got in on the fun.
Flickr
KLM -- Delft: In honor of its beloved blue-and-white pottery, the Netherlands' national airline put the pattern on a plane.
courtesy Icelandair
Icelandair -- Northern Lights: Not only is the livery of Icelandair's Boeing 757's Hekla Aurora design impressive, cabin lighting inside the plane also mimics the Northern Lights.
Kulula/Gary Shephard
Kulula -- Flying 101: If there's a better or more striking way to understand what's underneath the skin of a plane that Kulula's Flying 101 livery design, we've yet to see it. There's even a pointer to highlight the location of the "black box" flight data recorder.
Lucasfilm Ltd/ANA
ANA -- 'Star Wars': Arguably the world's most popular robot, in 2015 R2-D2 took to the skies in the form of All Nippon Airways's livery. Japan's largest airline has subsequently added C-3PO and BB-8 planes to its fleet.
Shutterstock
Brussels Airlines -- Tintin: Brussels Airlines's A320 takes the form of a 37-meter shark submarine from the Tintin adventure "Red Rackham's Treasure." Passengers can even read Tintin books inflight in English, French and Dutch.
courtesy EVA Air
Eva Air -- Gudetama: The hugely popular Sanrio character Gudetama -- a morose and lazy egg yolk -- graces an Eva Air plane that flies the Taipei to Tokyo route.
courtesy Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic -- 'Where's Waldo?': Virgin Atlantic marked the 25th anniversary of "Where's Waldo?" with a special livery.
courtesy Azores Airlines
Azores Airlines -- Whale: In a nod to the Azores' claim to being one of the largest whale sanctuaries in the world, the Azores Airlines transformed its livery into a blue sperm whale.
courtesy PNG Air
PNG Air -- AIR: PNG Air's new livery on its fleet of ATR 72-600 aircraft was designed to reflect Papua New Guinea's diversity and the traditional iconography of its people.
courtesy qatar airways
Qatar Airways -- Barcelona: As a sponsor of F.C. Barcelona, Qatar airline launched a Barca-themed plane featuring the club's flag. A natty shading element on the flag design appears to make it move during takeoff.
courtesy Westjet
Westjet -- 'Frozen': Canadian airline Westjet teamed up with Disney and brought in painters from Canada, the United States and Germany to bring this "Frozen"-themed livery to life.
courtesy Jetstar
Jetstar -- Singaporeans: This aircraft design featuring a black-naped oriole -- a bird commonly found in Singapore -- and the faces of 50 everyday Singaporeans was Jetstar's way of marking Singapore's 50th National Day in 2015.
courtesy British Airways
British Airways -- Fashion: This British Airways 777 aircraft livery was created by fashion designer Masha Ma. The east-meets-west design depicts a bamboo and a rose and pays homage to European impressionistic artistic techniques and Chinese ink-and-wash painting.