PHUKET: More than 200 passengers due to catch flights back to Hong Kong from Phuket International Airport remain stranded on the Thai holiday island tonight.
It's understood the passengers arrived on Phuket on City Airways scheduled flights over the past 10 days.
But officials have denied City Airways the opportunity to pick up the passengers to return them to Hong Kong.
It is believed the airline's documents are not in order.
A spokesperson for Thailand's Tourism and Sport ministry said every effort was being made to arrange alternative transport for the passengers.
Today is the fourth day of a long-weekend holiday so all available seats on alternative airlines have been taken.
Problems arose on August 9, when the first City Airways flight from Phuket to Hong Kong was cancelled. Those passengers were placed on alternative flights.
But flights due to head back to Hong Kong at 12.40pm on Sunday, Monday and today have all been cancelled, with no alternative seats for passengers.
An aircraft has been found to carry the stranded passengers to Don Muang airport in Bangkok, a spokesperson said.
At present, efforts were continuing to find a captain and crew for the R Airlines aircraft.
Some passengers still milled at Phuket International Airport tonight while others had returned to their resorts to await an alternative flight home.
City Airways is a small airline owned by a group of Thai, Chinese and Hong Kong investors.
The airline's first flight took place in October 2012, the start of a charter service between Hong Kong and Bangkok, using a 170-seat Boeing 737-400 aircraft.
It now has five 737-400s.
Changes in regulations in Thailand recently have enabled more small airlines to win approval.
It's understood the passengers arrived on Phuket on City Airways scheduled flights over the past 10 days.
But officials have denied City Airways the opportunity to pick up the passengers to return them to Hong Kong.
It is believed the airline's documents are not in order.
A spokesperson for Thailand's Tourism and Sport ministry said every effort was being made to arrange alternative transport for the passengers.
Today is the fourth day of a long-weekend holiday so all available seats on alternative airlines have been taken.
Problems arose on August 9, when the first City Airways flight from Phuket to Hong Kong was cancelled. Those passengers were placed on alternative flights.
But flights due to head back to Hong Kong at 12.40pm on Sunday, Monday and today have all been cancelled, with no alternative seats for passengers.
An aircraft has been found to carry the stranded passengers to Don Muang airport in Bangkok, a spokesperson said.
At present, efforts were continuing to find a captain and crew for the R Airlines aircraft.
Some passengers still milled at Phuket International Airport tonight while others had returned to their resorts to await an alternative flight home.
City Airways is a small airline owned by a group of Thai, Chinese and Hong Kong investors.
The airline's first flight took place in October 2012, the start of a charter service between Hong Kong and Bangkok, using a 170-seat Boeing 737-400 aircraft.
It now has five 737-400s.
Changes in regulations in Thailand recently have enabled more small airlines to win approval.
" Documents not in order " is almost always code for unpaid fees. Usually either owing to airport or to fuel supplier.
Where I come from airlines and travel agencies have to put up a substantial cash collateral before operations which will be used in situations like this to repatriate any of their customers that may have been stranded due to the operator running out of money.
I wonder if China has similar laws in place.
Posted by ThaiMike on August 12, 2014 17:45
Editor Comment:
Where I come from, people wait for the facts to emerge rather than jumping to conclusions.