80 flights delayed
A number of 80 flights operating to and from Suvarnabhumi Airport have experienced delays following the accident with Thai Airways International's aircraft on Sunday night.
Sita Divari, chairman of Airports of Thailand which operates the Bangkok airport, said that 35 flights had to circle above the airport, waiting for the landing. They experienced average delays of 14 minutes.
Meanwhile, a number of 45 departing flights suffered from the average 30-minute delay.
The data was as of 10.15am on September 9.
On September 8, flight TG679, operated with Airbus A330-300 aircraft, departed from Guangzhou to Bangkok at 9.25pm (local time in Guangzhou) and arrived in Bangkok at 11.20pm. After touchdown at Suvarnabhumi Airport, the landing gear malfunctioned and caused the aircraft to skid off the runway. Sparks were noticed from the vicinity of the right landing gear near the engine; the matter is under investigation. The captain took control of the aircraft until it came to a complete stop and passengers were evacuated from the aircraft emergency exits. The operation was conducted by the captain and cabin crew strictly according to emergency procedures.
The aircraft carried 288 passengers and 14 cabin crew. Initially, 13 passengers received minor injuries while evacuating the aircraft. THAI staff provided assistance to passengers and transfer those injured to hospital. THAI will conduct an investigation as to the cause of the incident.
Due to the accident, the east runway of the airport was damaged. While THAI will remove its aircraft within 48 months, the fixing on the 300-metre-long damaged area will also take the same time, said Sita.
The runway is expected to reopen before noon of September 11, he said.
