article_snippet.sent: What was supposed to be an overnight pit stop in the southwestern city of Chongqing has now stretched into a two-and-a-half week stay.
article_snippet.sent: It's an unexpected layover that is testing the patience of the pilots and more than 60 team members, just a quarter of the way along a journey that will cover some 35,000 kilometers (21,748 miles) over five months.
article_snippet.sent: There is much at stake.
article_snippet.sent: While the team is used to waiting, the team are clearly eager to move on.
article_snippet.sent: That's because the team needs to wait until the end of the month for the northern hemisphere days to get longer, before the plane can venture across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii.
article_snippet.sent: The rest of the crew has been waiting for weeks in Nanjing.
article_snippet.sent: Even with the extended stay, no time is wasted.