An old Russian Boeing 767 jet was finally moved from the runway at Phuket International Airport after the Azur Air aircraft right jet engine malfunctioned during takeoff. This resulted in the cancellation of all flights on Saturday evening until early Sunday morning as airport emergency crews sterilised the situation and moved the aircraft off the runway.
Air traffic control staff observed smoke and flames coming from the right engine of the twinjet Boeing 767-300ER as it was preparing to depart for Moscow at 4:30pm on Saturday. After being alerted to the situation, the captain terminated takeoff and safely brought the plane to a stop on the runway.
This Boeing 767 aircraft was originally built in 1988.
It took roughly 40 minutes to move the aircraft to a taxiway junction, where it obstructed other flights from landing or taking off. Repair work continued until 12:30am on Sunday, after which the plane was removed from the junction, allowing flight services to resume.
According to a Bangkok Post report, a total of 47 flights were affected, with some diverted to Krabi, Koh Samui, and Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airports. The Air Azur flight had been chartered for 309 passengers and 12 crew members.
Questions are being asked in social media about the possible safety situation of planes coming out of Russia at the moment with Boeing parts unable to be accessed by Russian owned planes at this time due to sanctions.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
