China Eastern Airlines trying to solve issue of stranded durian: Thai academic
China Eastern Airlines is making an effort to find ways to help Thai durian exporters after it cancelled five chartered flights following a plane crash in China, a Thai academic said on Wednesday.
Sakda Sriniwet said he had learned from China Eastern that it was seeking ways to help durian exporters after the airline learned of his concern.
Sakda, a former expert at the agricultural product quality development office of the Agricultural Extension Department, said on Tuesday that the airline informed a Thai exporter that five of its chartered flights had been cancelled with no schedule for resumption.
China Eastern Airlines’ Flight MU5735 crashed in mountainous terrain with 132 people on board about an hour into its journey from Kunming to Guangzhou.
Sakda said that after the airline saw a report quoting him, it explained that only flights using Boeing 737s – the type that crashed – would be cancelled pending a security check.
“China Eastern Airlines is now rushing to solve the problem to minimise the damage,” Sakda said, adding: “And I’ve learned that some senior Agriculture Ministry officials are also hastening to solve the problem.”
