AIRLINE schedules were thrown into chaos last week when a military cargo aircraft crashed after sliding off the runway while attempting to land at Yangon International Airport
An airport spokesperson confirmed the June 17 incident, which forced domestic and international flights to be cancelled or diverted to other destinations. Nobody was injured in the crash, the spokesperson said.
“The aircraft slipped off the runway while landing at Yangon airport around 3pm and this resulted in the runway being blocked. The runway was cleared early the next morning,” he said, declining to give any more details.
A spokesperson for Silk Air’s Yangon office said four flights between Singapore and Yangon were cancelled as a result of the crash.
“On that day [June 17] two fights coming from Singapore were forced to turn back to Singapore. Another two flights from Yangon to Singapore were cancelled too. Some passengers went back to their homes and we arranged accommodation at a hotel for some passengers,” she said.
A spokesperson for Myanmar Airways International said the airline’s flights from Bangkok to Yangon and Singapore to Yangon were instead diverted to Mandalay International Airport.
“Due to the problem we landed our flights from Bangkok and Singapore at Mandalay International Airport on June 17. We arranged accommodation at Swan Hotel in Mandalay for all the passengers. The next day we took all the passengers to Yangon. As it was an accident, passengers understood the difficult situation we were facing,” the spokesperson said.
However, one passenger travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Yangon was less than impressed by the airline’s handling of the situation. The plane took off from Kuala Lumpur Airport at 2pm but was forced to return about 15 minutes later because, according to the pilot, there was a problem with the aircraft.
“We waited for about two hours and then … we got back onto the plane, went onto the runway and the pilot said there was another problem, this time at Yangon airport. So we waited again for a few hours and then the flight took off again. Just 15 minutes before we reached Yangon airport, the pilot said the flight could not land at Yangon International Airport and finally we landed at Mandalay International Airport,” he said.
“When we arrived at Mandalay airport it was already 9:30pm and the airport was closed. We had to wait about two hours for the immigration officers to come back to the airport. There was no air-conditioning at the airport and it was too hot. And then they gave us biryani for dinner and arranged accommodation at the Swan Hotel in Mandalay,” he said.
“I don’t think it was really professional,” he added.
An airport spokesperson confirmed the June 17 incident, which forced domestic and international flights to be cancelled or diverted to other destinations. Nobody was injured in the crash, the spokesperson said.
“The aircraft slipped off the runway while landing at Yangon airport around 3pm and this resulted in the runway being blocked. The runway was cleared early the next morning,” he said, declining to give any more details.
A spokesperson for Silk Air’s Yangon office said four flights between Singapore and Yangon were cancelled as a result of the crash.
“On that day [June 17] two fights coming from Singapore were forced to turn back to Singapore. Another two flights from Yangon to Singapore were cancelled too. Some passengers went back to their homes and we arranged accommodation at a hotel for some passengers,” she said.
A spokesperson for Myanmar Airways International said the airline’s flights from Bangkok to Yangon and Singapore to Yangon were instead diverted to Mandalay International Airport.
“Due to the problem we landed our flights from Bangkok and Singapore at Mandalay International Airport on June 17. We arranged accommodation at Swan Hotel in Mandalay for all the passengers. The next day we took all the passengers to Yangon. As it was an accident, passengers understood the difficult situation we were facing,” the spokesperson said.
However, one passenger travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Yangon was less than impressed by the airline’s handling of the situation. The plane took off from Kuala Lumpur Airport at 2pm but was forced to return about 15 minutes later because, according to the pilot, there was a problem with the aircraft.
“We waited for about two hours and then … we got back onto the plane, went onto the runway and the pilot said there was another problem, this time at Yangon airport. So we waited again for a few hours and then the flight took off again. Just 15 minutes before we reached Yangon airport, the pilot said the flight could not land at Yangon International Airport and finally we landed at Mandalay International Airport,” he said.
“When we arrived at Mandalay airport it was already 9:30pm and the airport was closed. We had to wait about two hours for the immigration officers to come back to the airport. There was no air-conditioning at the airport and it was too hot. And then they gave us biryani for dinner and arranged accommodation at the Swan Hotel in Mandalay,” he said.
“I don’t think it was really professional,” he added.
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