No Thai passengers in flight to China, Thai Lion Air clarifies after Beijing imposes ban

[webfact]

No Thai passengers in flight to China, Thai Lion Air clarifies after Beijing imposes ban

By THE NATION

 

 

Thai Lion Air said on Thursday (July 16) that there were no Thai passengers on board the flight that carried some Covid-19 patients to China and that no one had left the plane or entered the terminal building when the flight stopped in Bangkok on July 7.

 

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced on Wednesday (July 15) that it was banning all Thai AirAsia X and Thai Lion Air flights to China from July 20 to 27 as a punishment for bringing Covid-19 patients into the country.

 

Five passengers travelling on Thai AirAsia flight XJ808 from Don Mueang to Tianjian were infected, as were six passengers on Thai Lion Air SL117 from Bangkok to Guangzhou. The flights were operated on July 7 as they had been chartered to pick up Chinese citizens in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.

 

“The SL117 flight flew from Jakarta, stopped at Don Mueang to refuel, and then headed to Guangzhou,” said the airline. “It carried no Thai passengers and no passenger was no allowed to leave the plane or enter the terminal building.”

 

“The airline has employed strict measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, and all crew must wear PPE suits while working on chartered flights and follow the quarantine procedures at Don Mueang Airport,” said the announcement. “We also disinfected the plane while it was refuelling in Bangkok to make sure that all Thai Lion Air planes are safe for passengers on every route.”

 

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30391459

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-07-17

 

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[meechai]

[smedly]

35 minutes ago, webfact said:

It carried no Thai passengers and no passenger was no allowed to leave the plane or enter the terminal building.”

all well and good but they have left out a huge gaping omission in that statement 

 

 

Did anyone board the planes in Thailand

[mtls2005]

"The flights were operated on July 7 as they had been chartered to pick up Chinese citizens in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta."

 

 

Still can't figure out what's really going on here?

 

Probably not much given the short-term (7 days) penalty.

 

Heck, they might only be flying once a week anyway.

 

Maybe the charterer, presumably Chinese officals in Malaysia and Indonesia assumed the flights would be direct, non-stop?

 

 

[SkyFax]

58 minutes ago, smedly said:

all well and good but they have left out a huge gaping omission in that statement 

 

 

Did anyone board the planes in Thailand

So I guess you are suggesting some non-Thai /Chinese could have boarded the flight at BKK but, according to the statement, they would have to have done so without having entered the terminal.

 

But the statement that there were no Thai passenges on the flight could also be meant to mean that there were no Thai originating passengers.

Edited July 17, 2020 by SkyFax

[SkyFax]

25 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

"The flights were operated on July 7 as they had been chartered to pick up Chinese citizens in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta."

 

 

Still can't figure out what's really going on here?

 

Probably not much given the short-term (7 days) penalty.

 

Heck, they might only be flying once a week anyway.

 

Maybe the charterer, presumably Chinese officals in Malaysia and Indonesia assumed the flights would be direct, non-stop?

 

 

By my reading of repatriation flights of Thai and US citizens via charter flights, the whole effort is coordinated by the respective embassy in the country where the flight originates in this case being the Chinese embassies in KL and Jakarta. Maybe the slap-on-the-wrist suspension is tacit admission that they are ones who were responsible for the fit-to-fly arrangements.

[Geoffggi]

4 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

"The flights were operated on July 7 as they had been chartered to pick up Chinese citizens in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta."

 

 

Still can't figure out what's really going on here?

 

Probably not much given the short-term (7 days) penalty.

 

Heck, they might only be flying once a week anyway.

 

Maybe the charterer, presumably Chinese officials in Malaysia and Indonesia assumed the flights would be direct, non-stop?

 

 

I agree with you also cannot understand the need to stop in Thailand to refuel ......!!

[grumpy 4680]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced on Wednesday (July 15) that it was banning all Thai AirAsia X and Thai Lion Air flights to China from July 20 to 27 as a punishment for bringing Covid-19 patients into the country.

          That's the Norm, China can punish anyone for their mistakes.

[SomchaiCNX]

Why keep all these countries taking and accepting all this BS and bullying from the Chinese Government? Time to block them and their goods all over the world.

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

“The SL117 flight flew from Jakarta, stopped at Don Mueang to refuel, and then headed to Guangzhou,” said the airline

Why would an aircraft departing Jakarta need to stop & refuel in Bangkok, that requires delays, landing fees and extra fuel [for landing'taxing/take-off] over and above flight times?

Jakarta to Guangzhou is an easy one stop flight of an est 5 hours which is achievable for a LCC aircraft ?

[tifino]

Red China didn't want their gammy infected peasants back - no matter about it being a chartered

 

 

[SkyFax]

38 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Why would an aircraft departing Jakarta need to stop & refuel in Bangkok, that requires delays, landing fees and extra fuel [for landing'taxing/take-off] over and above flight times?

Jakarta to Guangzhou is an easy one stop flight of an est 5 hours which is achievable for a LCC aircraft ?

As has been noted in other topics on this same subject, the stop in Bangkok was also because Thai Lion Air does not have CAAC authority to fly non-stop from Jakarta to Guangzhuo.

 

This subject of COVID positive passengers arriving in China after 2 flights departing DMK started yesterday morning. If there are persons on here who want to think that the COVID passengers did not board Jakarta, Manila, or Kuala Lamphur, but boarded at DMK, why don't they just come out and say it.

Edited July 17, 2020 by SkyFax

[IAMHERE]

 

What is the penalty China imposed on Egyptian Flights ?  Wonder if there is an outbreak of Covid-19 at the airport that Egyptian military officer visited.

[Calvin1976]

34 minutes ago, SkyFax said:

As has been noted in other topics on this same subject, the stop in Bangkok was also because Thai Lion Air does not have CAAC authority to fly non-stop from Jakarta to Guangzhuo.

 

Both Jakarta and KL not in China/CAAC approved arrival countries list.

So these charted flights stopped at DMK to change the flight code/depart country which allow in China/CAAC. (quite creative actually ????)

Too bad, there were confirmed cases in the flights.

Maybe can't use this trick again in future even banning ease.

Pity those who may in this kind of flights in future.

Whether any personnel movement of aircraft during at DMK, not important anymore.

News reported as it is, take it or leave it. ????

[ChouDoufu]

will have to wait until further information becomes available...

 

did the thai airlines have approval from china for stopovers with repatriation flights?  if not, is that the reason (one of the reasons) for the flight number change?

 

were the flights arranged through the chinese embassies in the originating countries?

 

were the passengers tested before the flight, and did they have fit to fly certificates and negative covid tests?