Haze delays 5 flights in Phuket
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Three domestic flights from Phuket to Bangkok were delayed Thursday morning due to the thick haze that clouded visibility of the southern airport.
All the three domestic flights were scheduled to depart Phuket before 8.20am, said an airport officer who joined an emergency meeting chaired by the provincial governor. The three domestic flights were operated by Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, and Thai Airways International.
The haze also affected two international flights of Silk Air and Jet Star, which had to circle the airport for two extra rounds before safe landing.
Phuket Governor Chamreon Tipayapongthada said that haze has disrupted only air transport in the province, while less disturbance is reported for marine and land transport.
The situation has returned to normal, he said after the meeting. Airports of Thailand has been instructed to submit hourly updates on the situation at the Phuket International Airport.
Bangkok Airways has advised its passengers to contact the airline's Call Centre at 1771 to check the status of all flights especially those flights departing from and to the South of Thailand.
In the morning, all departing flights from Surat Thani were on time despite thick haze. However, arriving flights were delayed by 1-2 hours. Nok Air's flight arrived at 9.25am, against the scheduled arrival time at 7.20am. Thai AirAsia's flight was also delayed from 8.10am to 9.42am.
It was reported that a sizeable number of Thai and foreign passengers were seen at the provincial airport as usual. Asiana Airlines' charter flight from China also landed safely.
