Hong Kong used to be the only place under Chinese rule that allowed discussions of Beijing's deadly clampdown on pro-democracy demonstrators on June 4, 1989.
But commemorations in the city have largely gone underground after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong in 2020, which critics said curtailed free speech.
A Cathay passenger lodged a complaint after viewing a scene from the animated sitcom Family Guy that included a joke about Tiananmen, local media reported on Tuesday.
The airline said in a statement that it was aware of the incident and apologised to affected customers.
"We emphasise that the content of the programme does not represent Cathay Pacific's standpoint, and have immediately arranged to have the programme removed as soon as possible," Cathay told AFP on Wednesday.
Cathay said its inflight entertainment content was managed by a third-party provider, without naming the company.
"We have promptly informed the service provider of the seriousness of the incident, and have instructed them to thoroughly investigate the cause and strengthen oversight to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future."
Family Guy's pilot episode, aired in 1999, featured a throwaway gag where main character Peter Griffin said he had lied about "(standing) up to that tank in Tiananmen Square".
Hong Kong's candlelight vigil to mark the Tiananmen anniversary has been halted since 2020, and its organisers are facing charges of subversion under the security law.
In 2021, Hong Kong passed censorship laws forbidding broadcasts that are contrary to the interests of national security -- though the rules do not explicitly cover content shown on flights.
Streaming services Disney Plus and Prime Video have previously limited Hong Kong viewers' access to content thought to be politically sensitive, including a Simpsons episode that referred to forced labour camps in China.
hol/reb/mtp
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