Bangkok--Apr 7-- Aziam Burson-Marsteller
According to the news reporting about the Phuket Air Bangkok-London flight no. 9R618 incident, I would like to confirm that there was no flame and sparking as claimed in the news reports.
Following is the chronology of the incident:
Phuket Air operated flight no. 9R618 from Bangkok to London Gatwick on Saturday 2 April 2005. As a usual schedule, the aircraft stopped at Sharjah Airport, United Arab Emirates, at 04:30 am. next morning (local time) for re-fuelling prior to continuing the flight to London. After the completion, the aircraft was pushed back (had not yet started the engine) to be ready to taxi to the runway. During that time, there was an incident of fuel spillage from the aircraft’s wing due to the excessive fuel in the surge tank. The pilot took the aircraft back to the parking bay to have the excessive fuel drained from the surge tank.
After the first drain, there was still some leftover. The plane was then taken back to the parking bay to re-drain the fuel. After that, the pilot has started the engine and prepared to take off again. During the aircraft turning from the taxi way to runway, the leftover fuel visibly spilled out from the aircraft wing. At that time, a few passengers who saw the spillage were panic, misunderstood and screamed “fire”. A flight attendant then reported to the pilot about the situation. The pilot then decided to return to the parking bay to ensure utmost safety and passengers’ comfort.
During thorough examination, Phuket Air decided to accommodate all 366 passengers to rest in hotels in Sharjah on Phuket Air’s expenses.
The next morning, Phuket Air welcomed passengers on board the same aircraft. The aircraft arrived London safely.
As soon as the plane landed, Department of Civil Aviation Authority(CAA), United Kingdom, conducted a complete examination of the aircraft and concluded that the aircraft is in good condition and ready to be operated as usual. The same aircraft transported passengers from London back to Bangkok on normal flight schedule.
However, during the Sharjah’s incident, a group of passengers refused to board the same aircraft. Phuket Air offered those passengers with extended accommodations while they awaited for next Phuket Air flight from Bangkok. For those who intended to fly with other airlines, Phuket Air had facilitated their requests. As of today, there is no passenger left at Sharjah.
On behalf of Phuket Air, I reiterate that we always consider our passengers’ safety as the first priority and we take all responsibility for passengers during the aircraft transfer.
For more information, please contact:
Krona Visutrasai
Phuket Air
Tel: 0 2679 8999 ext. 516
Sribenja Semmeesook
Aziam Burson-Marsteller
Tel: 0 2252 9871 End.