16 Flights Delayed Due To Don Mueang Power Outage

[Lite Beer]

16 flights delayed due to Don Mueang power outage

BANGKOK, Oct 14- Power failure at Thailand’s Don Mueang Airport Sunday morning delayed 16 flights, according to Airports of Thailand (AoT) President Anirut Thanomkulbutra.

The power blackout occurred at the arrival and departure terminals for about half an hour in the morning and was caused by heavy rain and thunderstorm.

Flying Officer Anirut explained that although the airport has a power backup system, it provides electricity which is used only for essential areas of the airport.

Meanwhile, Don Mueang Airport Director Paranee Watthanothai said that the power outage took place at around 4.50 am.

The blackout caused some 16 flights to be delayed for 20-25 minutes each.

On Oct 1, Don Mueang Airport relaunched its full services for low cost airlines Monday, after operations ceased in 2006 following the opening of the new Suvarnabhumi Airport and the government’s single airport policy. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-10-14

[sjjmmi]

Flooded 20 mins to turn on generator

[Sydebolle]

Six months interval of power cuts between Swampi and Don Meoueiong now?

[Lite Beer]

Prevention of Don Mueang blackout recurrence discussed today

BANGKOK, Oct 15 – Don Mueang Airport administrators called a meeting with the Metropolitan Electricity Authority and commercial airlines today to work out blackout prevention measures following a power failure on Sunday morning which delayed 15 flights.

Airport director Paranee Watthanothai reaffirmed that Don Mueang has followed an engineering standard which requires a power backup by 30 per cent.

She said Don Mueang officials have been instructed to conduct a thorough survey on electricity allocation to all spots and airline check-in counters to ensure sufficiency for overall use.

The 30-minute power blackout on Sunday, starting at 4.50am, delayed 15 flights, each for 20-25 minutes—an error which Ms Paranee described as “acceptable.”

She said airlines at Don Mueang did not make claims seeking damage reimbursements. Nine AirAsia flights and six Nok Air flights were delayed.

Describing the power blackout as a force majeure, a natural event over which the human mechanisms had no control, MEA deputy director for business service Sombat Chankrachang said it was caused by lightning which struck the ground connection at an electricity post.

The ground connection was switched to a nearby alternate connection within seconds, he said, adding that it will take a week to fix the damaged ground connection.

Don Mueang resumed full operations for budget airlines Oct 1 when AirAsia, Thailand’s largest low-cost airline, moved from Suvarnabhumi international airport. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-10-15

[biplanebluey]

Flooded 20 mins to turn on generator

GOT THAT WRONG !!!!!

[JetsetBkk]

"starting at 4.50am, delayed 15 flights"

Jeez! Glad I don't live near there.

[SOTIRIOS]

...duhhhh..........ready whenever you are......

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Glad to see the authorities have everything up to snuff at the old/new airport, just like they promised...

At least it wasn't a power outage of the air traffic control system like the one that occurred last time...

[IsaanUSA]

Sounds like everything went as planned. Generators were running. Heavy storms prevented planes from departing. No big deal. This happens all the time all over the world.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The above news articles say the flight departure delays were causes by the power outage, not "heavy storms" per se.

I'm not so sure that flights are delayed by airport power outages "all the time all over the world."

I'd wager, most international airports have more robust, storm resistant power delivery and backup systems, compared to the slapdash resurrection of DM.

[IsaanUSA]

I meant that flights are delayed because of storms and their effects all the time

[planemad]

Dubai International was forced to close last Wednesday (10th Oct) firstly due to early morning fog (which should not prevent operations), and failure of the instrument landing facility at the airport. 50 flights were diverted all over the gulf countries. Thailand is not alone.

[chantsurfer]

"starting at 4.50am, delayed 15 flights"

Jeez! Glad I don't live near there.

People buy near airports because it is cheap noise disturbed land. Then they protest about airport noise !!!!

[IsaanUSA]

I'd wager, most international airports have more robust, storm resistant power delivery and backup systems, compared to the slapdash resurrection of DM.

You mean like Suvarnabhumi?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

No... DM is just another example, along with Swampy, of the Thai approach to quality control, good engineering and systems redundancy -- which is to typically not have any of those things.