A Hong Kong Airlines flight that took off from Bangkok en route to Hong Kong was forced to turn back to Suvarnabhumi due to a “technical issue”.
Flight HX780 took off from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi at around 2.25am on Sunday, March 31, and then circled the airspace over the Thai capital before returning to the airport.
According to an airline representative, the twin-jet Airbus A330-300 aircraft with more than 200 passengers on board experienced a technical issue, although no more information was provided.
“To follow safety protocols, the flight immediately returned to Bangkok airport and landed safely at the airport with no one on board injured.”
PHOTO: Screenshot from flightradar24
Hong Kong Airlines, a full-service carrier, says it arranged same-day flights to Hong Kong for the passengers, adding that it had reported the incident to the relevant aviation authorities, as required. The carrier apologised for any inconvenience experienced by the passengers.
“At the same time, hotel accommodation was provided for waiting passengers to rest. We thank the passengers for their understanding.”
According to data from the flight tracking website flightradar24.com, the flight eventually left Bangkok much later the same day, at 7.41pm, landing in Hong Kong at 10.55pm, over 16 hours later than the original scheduled arrival of 5.55am.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
