747's vandalised/grounded

[Anti-ice]

From the Bangkok Post:

The dogfight over Thailand's airline business has turned ugly with two Boeing 747s belonging to Orient Thai Airlines, the privately held Thai carrier that has spurred a fierce round of fare-cutting with its budget operation One-Two-Go, vandalised by intruders while parked at the Navy-run U-Tapao airport in Chon Buri.


The damage to cockpits and engines of the jets was apparently so extensive that they will most likely have to be scrapped.

....Scary that security at a naval base allowed for this......
Possible industrial jealousy/disruption?

[411A]

Our company repossessed a TriStar five years ago from Orient Thai, for non-payment of the lease.
Got the impression then that the managing director was not all that well liked in Thai aviation circles, which seems to have come full circle....so not at all surprised.

[HotDog]

I have done a few durian charters out of Utapao, there is no security there whatsoever.

[Kaddyuk]

Thats just disgraceful...

I hate politics they never make sense... :/

[sanook]

Ah Ha! There's more to this!!!!

Orient Thai jets 'not ransacked'



Published on Jun 26, 2004



Local police and naval officers yesterday rejected a claim by Orient Thai Airlines that two of its jumbo jets parked at the Navy's U-tapao airport for maintenance had been ransacked.
Maj-General Prasert Ithimethin, chief of Rayong police, said after an inspection of the two Lockheed L-1011 TriStar jets there were no traces of robbery or fire, as had been described in a police complaint filed earlier by an airline representative.
A number of fire-extinguishers, life jackets and life-saving equipment had been abandoned near the planes, he said. The planes' doors and windows were closed, and there were no signs of a break-in. A number of large spare parts were found near the planes.
Prasert said an initial investigation had found that Orient Thai Airlines had conducted an emergency exit drill on one of the jumbo jets with some 30 flight attendants.
He said the equipment had probably been abandoned after the exercise because participants did not know how to return it to its original places.
Captain Jamnong Nuchpoom, deputy commander of the Naval Air Division, said the aircraft had been parked for repairs and maintenance in a hanger at the airport in Rayong for several months. Parts had been removed by airline mechanics as replacements in other planes, he said.
He insisted security was sufficient at the well-guarded airport.
The Nation
RAYONG




:}

[goatbusters]

Nice bit of journalism. I see the TriStar has become known as the Jumbo.

[Spotlight]

Perhaps he's been around a while longer than you goatbusters.
I have always believed Tristars to be Jumbos. And the DC10.

[Flap 5]

The original post from Anti-ice called the aircraft 'Boeing 747's'. So goatbusters you are just as bad as both Tristars and 747's are 'Jumbos'. If you are going to make a point make it right. The Tristars became 747's in the Bangkok Post.

[halas]

About five years ago whilst driving to work l noticed a long term tenant of the corner at Brisbane International had been "tagged" by a local grafitti "artist"(?)

It was a Cathay 747 classic freighter. The whole right side above the wing section was well covered in "art"(?)

Very embarrassing for the airport security, especially since it was right next to the only road in and out of the place.

l think they called it a jumbo when it was reported in the press as well.

halas

[qfcabin]

Maybe it's because my whole working life had been with QF that I always think of Jumbos as 747s. Am i wrong with that? Does the rest of the aviation world regard all wide bodies as "Jumbos" Maybe I have been too QF for too long!!

[Buster Hyman]

Initially, all widebodies were regarded as Jumbo's. The 747 ended up inheriting the title by attrition & clever marketing.

I had a clever line to add to that, but one must be serious on R&N!;) :p