Phuket Air More Problems

[george]

Poo Air update:

Netherlands bans Phuket Air from flying Bangkok-Amsterdam route

BANGKOK: -- The Dutch civil aviation authorities have ordered indefinite suspension of Phuket Air service for the Bangkok-Amsterdam route on the ground that its aircraft does not meet safety standard requirements.

The civil aviation authorities of the Netherlands reportedly issued the ban effective since Saturday night (April 30) after locating the defective emergency lighting system in the aircraft servicing the route.

Phuket Air flied from Bangkok to Amsterdam three times a week.

Mr. Chaisak Angkasuwan, Director-General of the Aviation Department –which last month said Phuket Air passed aircraft inspection test, confirmed that the Department ordered Phuket Air to suspend the service in line with the verdict of the Dutch authorities. However, Mr. Chaisak said the Dutch requirement is “petty.” The Aviation Department had already notified its Dutch counterpart that Phuket Air has fixed the problematic emergency lighting system. But the Dutch authorities will have final say on when the

service can resume.

Mr. Wanchai Sarathoontat, Permanent Secretary for Transport, admitted to have received a flood of complaints from disgruntled passengers. He has instructed the Aviation Department to come up with stricter standards to control airline service quality. He acknowledged that the Aviation Department has been “too compromising” in applying safety and service standards.

“Now that the Transport Ministry wants to liberalise the civil aviation sector, it is important that airline operators must comply with both safety and service standards. The Aviation Department must see to it that the best practices are in place,” he said.

A Phuket Air executive meanwhile said the problem with the Bangkok-Amsterdam service had nothing to do with faulty aircraft but with pilot’s negligence to undergo health check and to have valid license to fly the aircraft.

Mr Chairat Meksukri, vice president of Phuket Air said the pilot in question had been suspended from duty for two months. And the suspension of the Bangkok-Amsterdam route causes a revenue loss of 300 million baht, he said.

--TNA 2005-05-02

[LaoPo]

PHUKET AIR ON TV NEWS TONIGHT IN HOLLAND

The suspension, after warnings coming from 'London' also, came after many problems occurred; technical, health papers, but also limited (English?) language knowledge of the Pilots , plus non-valid route-maps etc.

Apart from that there are some 200+ passengers still stranded at BKK-airport at the moment; no sign what's happening to fly them back, from Thai and/or Dutch authorities/travel agents.

Bad story.

LaoPo

[parhorne]

this airline is owned by a thai senator, khun vikrom, he set it up to take gamblers to his casino , andaman club off the coast of ranong. a british woman, vicky gregory set the whole thing up and was then pushed out because he insisted he could save money on the maintainance costs . nothing will happen to him because hes a senator and you cant impune the " honour of a thai senator" it will damage the good name of the country !!!

[parhorne]

by the way, i understand that most of his other planes are grounded in jakarta, if the indonesians wont let them fly they realy must be a heap of shit.

[Dylan]

Phuket Air banned from Britain

The Thailand-based carrier Phuket Air has been banned from flying to Britain just weeks after safety scares relating to one of its aircraft.

As reported by News From Abroad Ltd, the airline was thrust into the media spotlight last month after passengers refused to allow a jet take off from Sharjah airport, where it had refuelled, after fuel was seen leaking out of a wing.

The carrier tried to blame the passengers for the outcry, even alleging that many of those who complained were drunk.

However, just two days later, another flight had to be abandoned shortly after leaving Gatwick for Bangkok, because the aircraft had developed hydraulic problems. Some 50 tonnes of fuel had to be dumped – and other faults were subsequently discovered on other Phuket Air planes.

But now, according to The Guardian, the carrier has had its operating licence suspended in the UK and also the Netherlands, its other European destination.

The newspaper reports that one Phuket Air jet still remains at Gatwick, where it had been impounded due to alleged unpaid landing duties totalling more than £100,000.

Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd www.newsfromabroad.com

[Tornado]

why doesnt this surprise me

[Flysiam]

Poo Air will never quite flying due to any other reason than their planes fall out of the sky - sad to say. After their fiasco in GB the Thai DOA was 'forced' to do an inspection of their aircraft ... grounding 16 or their 18 planes. Never saw that in the press. Any other civilized world Aviation governing agency would have yanked the company's operating certificate and thatwoudl be the end of that ... but ..This Is Thailand (a great man used to say that). Someone in the Thai DOA is a very well paid person.

Where is the press .... I have stories to tell!

[Flysiam]

Anyone else with horror stories from the 'other' low cost carriers??

Edited May 14, 2005 by Flysiam