Transport Khon Kaen Airport: Airline Requests 30 Passengers to Give Up Seats Due to Rear Door Issue

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Khaosod.

 

A domestic flight from Khon Kaen to Don Mueang was thrown into disarray on the 08:35 morning departure, when an airline unexpectedly requested 30 passengers to voluntarily forgo their seats due to an issue involving the aircraft’s rear door.

 

The incident, which occurred at Khon Kaen International Airport, was captured on video by Ms. Wirattiya, one of the affected passengers. She and her colleagues were among dozens of travellers waiting at the departure gate when confusion erupted following a series of unexpected announcements from airline staff.

 

Initially, passengers were informed of a minor delay without any further explanation. However, a second announcement caused alarm when it was revealed that the number of checked-in passengers exceeded the aircraft’s capacity. Finally, a third and more detailed announcement confirmed that 30 volunteers were being sought to give up their seats. In return, they were offered a full refund or rebooking on a later flight at 11.50, along with a 2,000-baht gift voucher.

 

The airline did not initially clarify the cause of the discrepancy, sparking concern and speculation among those waiting to board. It was only after some passengers directly questioned staff that the real reason emerged: a mechanical issue with the rear exit door. The fault rendered the door unusable, meaning that in the event of an emergency, the safety of passengers could not be guaranteed. As a result, the airline decided to reduce the number of passengers on board for that flight.

 

Speaking via video call, Ms. Wirattiya described the scene as confusing, saying, “At first, we thought the flight was overbooked. But it turned out the aircraft couldn’t safely accommodate everyone because the rear door wouldn’t open.”

 

Despite the uncertainty, Ms. Wirattiya and her five travelling companions decided to proceed with the journey, as they had pre-arranged transportation awaiting them in Bangkok and prior commitments to keep. “We were nervous, of course, but we had no choice. We’d already hired a van to pick us up and had plans we couldn’t cancel,” she added.

 

During the flight, which landed without incident, airline staff issued an onboard apology to passengers for the inconvenience and concern caused. Ms. Wirattiya reflected that while flight delays are not uncommon, this was the first time she had experienced a situation where passengers were asked to surrender their seats due to a safety-related equipment malfunction.

 

The airline involved has not yet issued a formal public statement regarding the incident. However, the video shared online has since gone viral, drawing widespread attention to airline safety practices and crisis communication protocols at regional airports.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Khaosod 2025-05-21.

 

 

 

[impulse]

I realize that Thailand has strict defamation laws, but it would be handy to know which airline and whether it was a Boeing, Airbus or other aircraft.

 

[Upnotover]

That would be FD3251 (Air Asia) and it's an A320.

[Phantom57]

All aircraft are licensed to carry X amount of Pax with all doors serviceable.  When doors are classified as unusable during a Pax Evacuation, these numbers reduce.

[impulse]

8 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

That would be FD3251 (Air Asia) and it's an A320.

 

See?  Was that so hard?

 

Thx.  Good info.

 

[dinsdale]

24 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

That would be FD3251 (Air Asia) and it's an A320.

Pic is at Nok Air gate.

 

[The Fugitive]

Be positive. If the rear door wouldn't close then nobody would have been going on that flight. Experience and common sense tells you to make allowance (obviously where possible) for delays and cancellations. A 2,000 baht gift voucher is better than nothing but cash would be preferable for most IMHO.

[Captain Flack]

Troll posts removed.

 

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[JoePai]

7 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

Air Asia only uses Airbus A320, several versions of it. But would you know that whether it's Boeing B737NG or Max, or A319/320/321 classic or Neo variant, the doors are all made by the same manufacturer, Spirit Aerosystems? So why would aircraft model matter?

It does not matter, just posters trying to be clever

[Georgealbert]

Thai media coverage of the incident.

 

 

[brfsa2]

4 hours ago, The Fugitive said:

Be positive. If the rear door wouldn't close then nobody would have been going on that flight. Experience and common sense tells you to make allowance (obviously where possible) for delays and cancellations. A 2,000 baht gift voucher is better than nothing but cash would be preferable for most IMHO.

They don't do Cash, because you can guess... it will disappear so fast with the corruption.

[Ralf001]

4 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Pic is at Nok Air gate.

 

 

There was no nok air departures, the flight at 8.35am was air asia.

[Captain Flack]

Comment on moderation removed.

 

Also another troll post has been removed @Nickcage49 read the public notice above.

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Finally, a third and more detailed announcement confirmed that 30 volunteers were being sought to give up their seats. In return, they were offered a full refund or rebooking on a later flight at 11.50, along with a 2,000-baht gift voucher.

I would have excepted that immediately... what a s##t show.

[Purdey]

I remember sitting on plastic chair on a Russian helicopter without any rear door and felt very nervous. Why would an airline keep in service a plane whose rear door could fall off and send passengers plunging to their death?

[arick]

We all know what airline uses gate 5

[Sydebolle]

Give it to them; for safety of passengers, crew and plane they offloaded 30 pax against generous remuneration and FOC rebooking. That could happen with any airline out of any airport. 
The inbound flight same morning from Don Meuang was flawless and the plane was taken out of service grid for the rest of yesterday. Today on grid again - obviously the disturbance had been attended and repaired. 

Salutations; that's what I call responsible aviation! 

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, Purdey said:

I remember sitting on plastic chair on a Russian helicopter without any rear door and felt very nervous. Why would an airline keep in service a plane whose rear door could fall off and send passengers plunging to their death?

 

Sat on the edge of the helicopter door frame (doors removed) and with feet on the landing skids during my time in the Vn conflict and carrying a rifle and ammunition and sometimes also a machine gun and linked ammunition belts, plus rations, water etc. 

 

There was some simple easy safety harness. 

 

As the helicopter was quickly getting lower and closer to the ground always a very strong concern that we would be fired on from ground level below.

 

In a word 'terrifying'.

 

 

[Georgealbert]

UPDATE
AirAsia Explains Flight Change After Aircraft Door Malfunction in Khon Kaen

 

File picture of the aircraft involved - A320 Neo - HS-CBF

 

Thai AirAsia has issued a statement clarifying an incident involving Flight FD3251 from Khon Kaen to Don Mueang on 20 May, where a malfunction in one of the aircraft’s doors required the airline to reduce the number of passengers on board.

 

The airline reported that while one of the aircraft’s four doors experienced a technical fault, the remaining three doors were fully operational. However, in accordance with safety standards and recommendations from the aircraft manufacturer, the maximum number of passengers allowed on the flight was reduced to 110 to ensure emergency protocols could be followed effectively if needed. The malfunction was in opening the door and posed no risk to flight operations.

 

To comply with these safety guidelines, the airline requested volunteers from among the passengers to take an alternative flight. A total of 27 passengers agreed to switch to the next available service. As a result, Flight FD3251 departed with 107 passengers and arrived safely at Don Mueang Airport, albeit with a delay of approximately one hour.

 

AirAsia expressed appreciation for the cooperation of all passengers involved and reiterated its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of safety.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Khaosod 2025-05-21.

 

 

 

[Geoff914]

11 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

 

 

 

The airline did not initially clarify the cause of the discrepancy, sparking concern and speculation among those waiting to board. It was only after some passengers directly questioned staff that the real reason emerged: a mechanical issue with the rear exit door. The fault rendered the door unusable, meaning that in the event of an emergency, the safety of passengers could not be guaranteed. As a result, the airline decided to reduce the number of passengers on board for that flight.

 

 

What if there was a fire in the front of the aircraft and the only means of escape was my the rear door?

[Georgealbert]

14 minutes ago, Geoff914 said:

What if there was a fire in the front of the aircraft and the only means of escape was my the rear door?

Passenger numbers are based on the number of emergency exits on an aircraft.

 

The A320 Neo has 8 exits, 2 at the front, 2 at the rear and 4 over the wings.
 

It would appear that the Manufacturer’s guidance and airline policy, when one door is not available would be to reduce the number of passengers being carried, hence why passengers were taken off the flight.

[merlin4174]

5 hours ago, Purdey said:

I remember sitting on plastic chair on a Russian helicopter without any rear door and felt very nervous. Why would an airline keep in service a plane whose rear door could fall off and send passengers plunging to their death?

 

5 hours ago, Purdey said:

I remember sitting on plastic chair on a Russian helicopter without any rear door and felt very nervous. Why would an airline keep in service a plane whose rear door could fall off and send passengers plunging to their death?

If there was imminent danger of the door falling off the plane would not have taken off.

[dirtybirty]

Surprised after finding out the fault any passengers got on that plane,