Phuket Air - passenger action.
The Express quoted one returning passenger as saying:-
"There was a
river of fuel coming out of the wing".
Another stated that the problem was caused by drunk passengers causing hysteria among other passengers.
So if they don't want to fly with Phuket Airlines again then it will be Phuket Airlines gain. I know several friends who have flown with Phuket Airlines and are very happy with them
CC
"There was a
river of fuel coming out of the wing".
Another stated that the problem was caused by drunk passengers causing hysteria among other passengers.
So if they don't want to fly with Phuket Airlines again then it will be Phuket Airlines gain. I know several friends who have flown with Phuket Airlines and are very happy with them
CC
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An airline which twice abandoned take-off attempts when passengers said they saw fuel gushing from a plane's wing has suffered another safety scare.
Britons flying with Phuket Air out of the United Arab Emirates on Sunday were left stranded by the halted take-offs.
On Wednesday, a separate Phuket Air Boeing 747 had to return to Gatwick three hours into a flight to Bangkok because of a hydraulics fault.
UK officials have grounded the plane until repairs have been completed.
Engine shut down
It has emerged that an engine had to be shut down while the plane was airborne.
The plane, which had taken off from the Sussex airport at 0830 BST and landed back at 1137 BST, has been grounded by the Department of Transport.
A spokeswoman said it would not be permitted to leave the UK until the damaged engine had been repaired or replaced.
An airline spokeswoman said on Wednesday: "There were 82 people on today's flight, which flew into Gatwick from Sharjah last night and had suffered a hydraulics problem.
"Though it was thought the fault had been corrected, the plane suffered the same problem this morning."
BBC on-line
Britons flying with Phuket Air out of the United Arab Emirates on Sunday were left stranded by the halted take-offs.
On Wednesday, a separate Phuket Air Boeing 747 had to return to Gatwick three hours into a flight to Bangkok because of a hydraulics fault.
UK officials have grounded the plane until repairs have been completed.
Engine shut down
It has emerged that an engine had to be shut down while the plane was airborne.
The plane, which had taken off from the Sussex airport at 0830 BST and landed back at 1137 BST, has been grounded by the Department of Transport.
A spokeswoman said it would not be permitted to leave the UK until the damaged engine had been repaired or replaced.
An airline spokeswoman said on Wednesday: "There were 82 people on today's flight, which flew into Gatwick from Sharjah last night and had suffered a hydraulics problem.
"Though it was thought the fault had been corrected, the plane suffered the same problem this morning."
BBC on-line
And another one!
Aircraft makes emergency landing after hydraulics failure
BANGKOK, March 18, (TNA) – Ninety passengers were left stranded at Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport today when a Phuket Air aircraft bound for the southern resort island was forced to make an emergency landing 15 minutes after takeoff.
Captain Surin Songkhram, the craft’s pilot, made the decision to make an emergency landing after discovering a fault in the hydraulic system of the craft’s wings.
The airline said that it was laying on a special flight to transport the stranded passengers to Phuket this evening.
This morning’s flight to Phuket, which was initially due to take off at 10.50 hrs, had already been delayed several times as engineers tried to fix the fault. It eventually left Don Muang at 14.30, returning just 15 minutes later
Aircraft makes emergency landing after hydraulics failure
BANGKOK, March 18, (TNA) – Ninety passengers were left stranded at Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport today when a Phuket Air aircraft bound for the southern resort island was forced to make an emergency landing 15 minutes after takeoff.
Captain Surin Songkhram, the craft’s pilot, made the decision to make an emergency landing after discovering a fault in the hydraulic system of the craft’s wings.
The airline said that it was laying on a special flight to transport the stranded passengers to Phuket this evening.
This morning’s flight to Phuket, which was initially due to take off at 10.50 hrs, had already been delayed several times as engineers tried to fix the fault. It eventually left Don Muang at 14.30, returning just 15 minutes later
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I have enjoyed an emergency evacuation of a Charter BAC1-11 some years ago. The aircraft was on stand at LEPA and starting no.1 engine prior to pushback. Fuel then either vented or, more likely a fuel line ruptured, spraying fuel into the jet exhaust.
It caught fire and the crew shut down the engine and ordered an emergency evacuation over the PA. As I was at the rear, I was sent down the rear steps just before the stewardess realised that the flaming fuel was pooling at the bottom.
She grabbed the person behind me by the collar and screamed at them to get away from this exit. I was too far down the steps and had to continue. From about the second step, I had no choice but to leap over the river of flaming fuel. At that moment, the fire truck appeared spraying foam over the whole area, including me - in mid jump. I looked like a snowman.
I can't remember the charter company but the only comfort they offered was to ask me to complete a report form about the incident for the crew. I can remember thinking that the sunset was unusually bright out of the port windows!
Another aircraft was sent and four hours later we were on our way back to the UK. No fuss, no compensation, no nothing. We were a very subdued bunch of holidaymakers though.
I can imagine the Shock! Horror! Compensation! stories that would be all over the papers had that happened recently.
It caught fire and the crew shut down the engine and ordered an emergency evacuation over the PA. As I was at the rear, I was sent down the rear steps just before the stewardess realised that the flaming fuel was pooling at the bottom.
She grabbed the person behind me by the collar and screamed at them to get away from this exit. I was too far down the steps and had to continue. From about the second step, I had no choice but to leap over the river of flaming fuel. At that moment, the fire truck appeared spraying foam over the whole area, including me - in mid jump. I looked like a snowman.
I can't remember the charter company but the only comfort they offered was to ask me to complete a report form about the incident for the crew. I can remember thinking that the sunset was unusually bright out of the port windows!
Another aircraft was sent and four hours later we were on our way back to the UK. No fuss, no compensation, no nothing. We were a very subdued bunch of holidaymakers though.
I can imagine the Shock! Horror! Compensation! stories that would be all over the papers had that happened recently.
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Phuket Air are a bloody shambles and no mistake
One of the cricket teams from the Chiang Mai Sixes was on the flight that was "leaking" fuel, but I haven't managed to get in touch with them yet. When I do I'll report the horse's mouth here.
However, it doesn't sound as if they did a very good job of reassuring the passengers that all was well. Why did it take 30 hours to get the aircraft in the air again? Sharjah isn't exactly the busiest airport on the planet, after all.
I discussed this at length with a 747 cargo pilot last night, and he did explain that it was not exactly uncommon and not necessarily a safety risk, but even he agreed that the flight deck could have done a better job of explaining it - assuming it *wasn't* a technical problem.
However, here's a more revealing article; the fact that 10 out of 12 aircraft were out of service hardly inspires confidence, does it?
The airline's owner also owns a luxury Dusit resort in Chiang Rai and a dodgy offshore casino in Burmese waters, which is heavily used by senior Thai military officers; he's loaded, but reckons he's losing a packet on Phuket Air. Can't say I'm surprised!
As for them making every effort to put passengers on other airlines, I got plenty of phone calls from returning cricketers in Bangkok to say that this was total garbage. The airline are definitely full of sh*t and I wouldn't trust a word they say. So why trust the flight deck?
Cheers,
Desertia
==============================================
Ministry puts Phuket Air under microscope
BANGKOK (TNA, Gazette): The Ministry of Transport has promised to launch a probe into budget airline Phuket Air following a 24-hour delay in a flight from Bangkok to London which left more than 400 passengers stranded on April 11.
The seriousness with which the ministry is treating the matter was highlighted by the response of Deputy Transport Minister Phumtham Vejjayachai, who immediately convened a meeting of Phuket Air executives and officials from the Department of Aviation.
Speaking after the meeting, K. Phumtham said that he had ordered the department to closely inspect all of the airline’s fleet the same day.
Over the past four weeks, the airline’s planes have malfunctioned – or been thought to have malfunctioned – on five occasions.
On April 2, a Phuket Air Boeing 747-200 from Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport to Gatwick Airport, England made a scheduled refueling stop at Sharjah Airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On takeoff, passengers noticed fuel spilling from one of the wings and suspected a leak.
There were, according to passengers’ statements, scenes of "screaming panic” on board the aircraft, and the airliner returned twice to the apron while engineers sought to identify the cause of the leak.
The airline later stated that the leak was the automatic release – via a “dump mast” – of excess fuel.
Both this aircraft – which eventually flew from Sharjah Airport to Gatwick, albeit with few passengers on board – and another Phuket Air 747, which had brought the remaining stranded passengers to the UK, were inspected by Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) engineers shortly after their arrivals in the UK.
The CAA inspections, which were requested by the UK Department of Transport, revealed shocking safety failures.
The aircraft that sparked the scare was found to have inoperative evacuation safety lights. Although this aged 747-200 was deemed airworthy, the CAA would not allow it to fly with passengers. It returned to Thailand empty.
The second veteran Boeing airliner, which had flown those stranded in the UAE to the UK, departed Gatwick en-route for Bangkok via Sharjah Airport on April 6. About one hour into the flight, the pilot shut down one of the engines and dumped 50 tons of jet fuel at 35,000 feet before heading back to UK airspace to land back at Gatwick.
CAA engineers found that a faulty gearbox seal – blamed on mechanics at Sharjah Airport – had caused the engine failure, but, perhaps more alarmingly, they established that the airliner’s collision avoidance system was not functioning.
CAA officials grounded the aircraft.
The April 11 incident was blamed on a hydraulics failure, as was an aborted March 18 flight from Bangkok to Phuket when the pilot was forced to return to Don Muang Airport and make an emergency landing some 15 minutes after takeoff.
K. Phumtham said that he had ordered a meeting with representatives from all the nation’s airlines, including budget airlines, for today, at which the airlines will be told to follow safety procedures rigorously.
In addition to these problems, Phuket Air’s deputy chief executive, Capt Chawanit Chiamcharoenvut, said that four aircraft that had been sent for maintenance in Indonesia have not yet been returned, and the airline has another two aircraft that need repair work.
As a result, the airline currently states that it has only two aircraft in working order out of a total of 12 listed on its website (www.phuketairlines.com).
According to a statement issued April 11 and posted on the Phuket Air website, “Phuket Air is now actively working to transfer passengers to other airlines that serve the same [international] destinations.
“As it is currently high season, these other airlines are heavily booked, which means we have not been able to transfer every passenger to an alternate flight.
“Therefore, we have arranged for food and accommodations for the remaining passengers who are waiting for the next available flights. We will also provide refunds to those who have canceled their Phuket Air flights.”
A Gazette staffer, due to fly back from Haad Yai to Phuket on Phuket Air today, was told at the check-in desk at the southern airport that his flight had been canceled. No alternative flight was offered, and when he requested a refund, he was told that he “...should ask his tour agent”. He is now traveling back to Phuket by bus.
The Gazette attempted to call the Phuket Air helplines – 02-5356708 and 02-5356696 – but was unable to get through.
===========================================
However, it doesn't sound as if they did a very good job of reassuring the passengers that all was well. Why did it take 30 hours to get the aircraft in the air again? Sharjah isn't exactly the busiest airport on the planet, after all.
I discussed this at length with a 747 cargo pilot last night, and he did explain that it was not exactly uncommon and not necessarily a safety risk, but even he agreed that the flight deck could have done a better job of explaining it - assuming it *wasn't* a technical problem.
However, here's a more revealing article; the fact that 10 out of 12 aircraft were out of service hardly inspires confidence, does it?
The airline's owner also owns a luxury Dusit resort in Chiang Rai and a dodgy offshore casino in Burmese waters, which is heavily used by senior Thai military officers; he's loaded, but reckons he's losing a packet on Phuket Air. Can't say I'm surprised!
As for them making every effort to put passengers on other airlines, I got plenty of phone calls from returning cricketers in Bangkok to say that this was total garbage. The airline are definitely full of sh*t and I wouldn't trust a word they say. So why trust the flight deck?
Cheers,
Desertia
==============================================
Ministry puts Phuket Air under microscope
BANGKOK (TNA, Gazette): The Ministry of Transport has promised to launch a probe into budget airline Phuket Air following a 24-hour delay in a flight from Bangkok to London which left more than 400 passengers stranded on April 11.
The seriousness with which the ministry is treating the matter was highlighted by the response of Deputy Transport Minister Phumtham Vejjayachai, who immediately convened a meeting of Phuket Air executives and officials from the Department of Aviation.
Speaking after the meeting, K. Phumtham said that he had ordered the department to closely inspect all of the airline’s fleet the same day.
Over the past four weeks, the airline’s planes have malfunctioned – or been thought to have malfunctioned – on five occasions.
On April 2, a Phuket Air Boeing 747-200 from Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport to Gatwick Airport, England made a scheduled refueling stop at Sharjah Airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On takeoff, passengers noticed fuel spilling from one of the wings and suspected a leak.
There were, according to passengers’ statements, scenes of "screaming panic” on board the aircraft, and the airliner returned twice to the apron while engineers sought to identify the cause of the leak.
The airline later stated that the leak was the automatic release – via a “dump mast” – of excess fuel.
Both this aircraft – which eventually flew from Sharjah Airport to Gatwick, albeit with few passengers on board – and another Phuket Air 747, which had brought the remaining stranded passengers to the UK, were inspected by Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) engineers shortly after their arrivals in the UK.
The CAA inspections, which were requested by the UK Department of Transport, revealed shocking safety failures.
The aircraft that sparked the scare was found to have inoperative evacuation safety lights. Although this aged 747-200 was deemed airworthy, the CAA would not allow it to fly with passengers. It returned to Thailand empty.
The second veteran Boeing airliner, which had flown those stranded in the UAE to the UK, departed Gatwick en-route for Bangkok via Sharjah Airport on April 6. About one hour into the flight, the pilot shut down one of the engines and dumped 50 tons of jet fuel at 35,000 feet before heading back to UK airspace to land back at Gatwick.
CAA engineers found that a faulty gearbox seal – blamed on mechanics at Sharjah Airport – had caused the engine failure, but, perhaps more alarmingly, they established that the airliner’s collision avoidance system was not functioning.
CAA officials grounded the aircraft.
The April 11 incident was blamed on a hydraulics failure, as was an aborted March 18 flight from Bangkok to Phuket when the pilot was forced to return to Don Muang Airport and make an emergency landing some 15 minutes after takeoff.
K. Phumtham said that he had ordered a meeting with representatives from all the nation’s airlines, including budget airlines, for today, at which the airlines will be told to follow safety procedures rigorously.
In addition to these problems, Phuket Air’s deputy chief executive, Capt Chawanit Chiamcharoenvut, said that four aircraft that had been sent for maintenance in Indonesia have not yet been returned, and the airline has another two aircraft that need repair work.
As a result, the airline currently states that it has only two aircraft in working order out of a total of 12 listed on its website (www.phuketairlines.com).
According to a statement issued April 11 and posted on the Phuket Air website, “Phuket Air is now actively working to transfer passengers to other airlines that serve the same [international] destinations.
“As it is currently high season, these other airlines are heavily booked, which means we have not been able to transfer every passenger to an alternate flight.
“Therefore, we have arranged for food and accommodations for the remaining passengers who are waiting for the next available flights. We will also provide refunds to those who have canceled their Phuket Air flights.”
A Gazette staffer, due to fly back from Haad Yai to Phuket on Phuket Air today, was told at the check-in desk at the southern airport that his flight had been canceled. No alternative flight was offered, and when he requested a refund, he was told that he “...should ask his tour agent”. He is now traveling back to Phuket by bus.
The Gazette attempted to call the Phuket Air helplines – 02-5356708 and 02-5356696 – but was unable to get through.
===========================================
