FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Heavy rain over Suvarnabhumi forces Emirates’ A380 to land at Don Mueang

Heavy rain over Suvarnabhumi forces Emirates’ A380 to land at Don Mueang

A heavy downpour on Wednesday night prompted an Emirates Airline Airbus A380 to divert to Don Mueang International Airport – the first time the world’s largest passenger jet was forced to land at Bangkok’s secondary airport.

The Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aero Thai) on Thursday explained the “extraordinary” landing of Flight EK363, saying it made a safe touchdown on Don Mueang’s western 21R runway at 9.40pm.

The plane was subsequently refuelled and flew to Suvarnabhumi Airport at 1.08am on Thursday.

Aero Thai said the flight originated from Guangzhou and was scheduled to land at Suvarnabhumi. But a heavy shower kept the plane from landing and it had to circle over Suvarnabhumi for more than 50 minutes, after which the pilot requested permission to touch down at Don Mueang instead.

According to Aero Thai, Don Mueang International Airport has runways that can accommodate the Airbus A380, however the parking area and passenger terminal building make the airport unsuitable for the giant plane in normal situations.

Several other flights also requested permission to divert to either Don Mueng or U-tapao International Airport on Wednesday night, Aero Thai added.

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