CHIANG MAI
Flights cancelled over floating lantern fears
The Nation


Floating lanterns from the Loy Krathong Festival at Chiang Mai.

CHIANG MAI: -- NEARLY 100 domestic and international flights to Chiang Mai International Airport have been cancelled or postponed between November 24 and 26 over fears of passenger safety due the sky being littered with floating lanterns from the Loy Krathong Festival.

The same concerns have seen flights cancelled or rescheduled at Chiang Rai's Mae Fah Luang Airport after 8pm on November 25.

Chiang Mai Airport director Group Captain Wisoot Chantana said yesterday the province had informed airlines about a regulation issued recently that prohibits people from releasing floating lanterns in Muang, Saraphi, Hang Dong, Mae Rim and San Sai districts, except for 10am to noon and after 9pm on November 25.

He said airport officials were instructed to check and clear runways 10 times a day between November 24-26.

As of Monday, airlines had cancelled 62 flights covering 9,300 passengers during the period, he said.

They included 36 Thai AirAsia flights, six Lion Air flights and eight Bangkok Airways flights. Twenty-one domestic flights made adjustments to their schedules, he added.

Twelve international flights covering 1,800 passengers were also cancelled including six Thai AirAsia flights, two Sichuan Airlines flights, two Air China flights, and two Juneyao Airlines flights. Some 20 international airlines adjusted flight schedules.

Mae Fah Luang Airport director Ittipol Boonaree said Nok Air, Thai AirAsia, and Bangkok Airways had cancelled their flights after 8pm on November 25 while Lion Air changed its scheduled departure from 8.20pm to 5.10pm.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Flights-cancelled-over-floating-lantern-fears-30273086.html


-- The Nation 2015-11-17

This shows that Thai people will not obey any law!

Edited November 17, 201510 yr by clockman

This shows that Thai people will not obey any law!

OR just too damn dim to realize the dangers they can cause

OR just too damn dim to realize the dangers they can cause

Why would they care, if none of the airline passengers aren't blood relatives or important patrons?

In Asian culture, only blood relatives or those in a position to do favors count.

This shows that Thai people will not obey any law!

what a racist comment. you should be ashamed of yourself.

Maybe but true

Edited November 17, 201510 yr by taff33

This shows that Thai people will not obey any law!

Thai people only respect the law when they are the aggrieved party.

At other times, the law only applies to others, and not to them...

A trait that is observed from top to bottom of the social ladder!

50 years the lanterns were no problem.....now they are.....strange world

Removed an off-topic post.

This shows that Thai people will not obey any law!

Where does it say the law has been broken?

Generalisation of all Thai's just shows ingnorance of the people and their culture.

This shows that Thai people will not obey any law!

what a racist comment. you should be ashamed of yourself.

Maybe but true

so you are a racist. congratulations.

would you like to share your opinions about Thai people when you will apply for your next Thai visa? I guess not

Stick around for a while Artique, you might just HAVE to change your opinion, one instance :- burning stubble on rice paddy and Sugar cane fields is unlawful , but it still happens, hence the choking smoke haze which happens over N/E Thailand, so calling some one a racist because you didn,t like the true answer is a bit Childish

,

the province had informed airlines about a regulation issued recently that prohibits people from releasing floating lanterns.

As in breaking the law end of.

This shows that Thai people will not obey any law!

OR just too damn dim to realize the dangers they can cause

Has any plane ever had a problem with a Khom Loy?

Are they a danger?

Or is it just another way of the Junta punishing Chiang Mai?

This shows that Thai people will not obey any law!

what a racist comment. you should be ashamed of yourself.

for my collection of farang anti-Thai racist slurs - to translate them to Thai and show to Thai people - to let them know what a bunch of snakes do they let in their homeland.

Before you call someone a racist maybe you should learn tue definition.

His comment is far from a racist comment. It's a 200% true comment.

Your comment on the other hand. Very childish and some what ignorant.

All you have to do is go outside and witness time and time again Thais breaking the smallest of laws. You think this will be any different.

I'm pretty sure you'll also be one of those also defying the order in regards to sky lanterns.

Just the fact you use the term farang instead of foreigner shows me that you would fall under the category of being a racist.

It's a known fact that Thai people feel they are superior to other races. Just look at how they look down on their neighbors in Cambodia and Laos. Thats true racism pal.

Bottom line: airlines don't trust the locals to follow any government directives for the sake of public safety.

Hence the cancellations.

This shows that Thai people will not obey any law!

what a racist comment. you should be ashamed of yourself.

for my collection of farang anti-Thai racist slurs - to translate them to Thai and show to Thai people - to let them know what a bunch of snakes do they let in their homeland.

This shows that Thai people will not obey any law!

Where does it say the law has been broken?

Generalisation of all Thai's just shows ingnorance of the people and their culture.

You really didn't try hard to refute clockman's observation, did you?

As Mbaki put it, it's in their culture to neither follow nor enforce their own laws and regulations. If they do, it's selectively.

Now, I think, that's the story for you:

If the Chiang Mai Airport director says that the province had informed airlines about a regulation issued recently that prohibits people from releasing floating lanterns in some areas around the airports and then the airlines start cancelling their flights, does this mean the responsible people there, in your opinion, are ignorant or even racist? Yes?

If not, please don't hesitate to give us the real reasons for this massive wave of cancellations of flights during the Loy Krathong Festival. And please, stop calling people names when the truth hurts but you have no arguments to refute it.

PS: Maybe next time the "province" should not only inform the airlines about recent regulations but also the people... and maybe not on a short notice. I mean, they already know today when next year's Loy Krathong Festival will happen, no?

As it should be.

It is impossible to prevent poeple from launching lanterns.

Restricting flights during the few times a year and limited hours lanterns could be launched for celebrations is the correct thing to do.

A small inconvience for airlines and passengers that just may save many lives and expensive aircraft.

Note: To date, no aircraft have crashed due to a conflict with a lantern, but it is a posiblity.

I am pleased to see that in this case, logic has prevailed.

As it should be.

It is impossible to prevent poeple from launching lanterns.

Restricting flights during the few times a year and limited hours lanterns could be launched for celebrations is the correct thing to do.

A small inconvience for airlines and passengers that just may save many lives and expensive aircraft.

Note: To date, no aircraft have crashed due to a conflict with a lantern, but it is a posiblity.

I am pleased to see that in this case, logic has prevailed.

How can a lantern bring down a commercial airliner? I know birds can get sucked into jet engines and cause them to malfunction. So can a lantern get sucked into an engine? What about helium balloons, can these also cause damage? And what about fireworks? Anyone know? Any statistics?

50 years the lanterns were no problem.....now they are.....strange world

So you would be comfortable landing in CM , watching out the window, your planes engines ingesting these lanterns?

Is it that big of a deal, not to launch these things in an airports landing or takeoff flight path? That really is all they are asking.

All these flights not allowed to land because of these lanterns, what effect will it have on the next safety rating?

As it should be.

It is impossible to prevent poeple from launching lanterns.

Restricting flights during the few times a year and limited hours lanterns could be launched for celebrations is the correct thing to do.

A small inconvience for airlines and passengers that just may save many lives and expensive aircraft.

Note: To date, no aircraft have crashed due to a conflict with a lantern, but it is a posiblity.

I am pleased to see that in this case, logic has prevailed.

How can a lantern bring down a commercial airliner? I know birds can get sucked into jet engines and cause them to malfunction. So can a lantern get sucked into an engine? What about helium balloons, can these also cause damage? And what about fireworks? Anyone know? Any statistics?

Having seen a large number of burned out lanterns in the streets either side of the airport, it's obvious that these do land all around the airport and the runway. These could be a serious hazard if sucked into a jet engine. The support frame for the lanterns seems to be a loop of wire, and while a bird might be shredded, wire could cause a problem.

Better safe than sorry.

This shows that Thai people will not obey any law!

what a racist comment. you should be ashamed of yourself.

Maybe but true

so you are a racist. congratulations.

would you like to share your opinions about Thai people when you will apply for your next Thai visa? I guess not

. I apply for it in my home country,they are not Thai that take my money.

50 years the lanterns were no problem.....now they are.....strange world

Fifty years ago, they had only a couple of propeller planes landing in a year...

Artique

You do seem to be very childish in your replies,but I do forgive you,I suppose it's all part of growing up.

Has any plane ever had a problem with a Khom Loy?

Are they a danger?

Or is it just another way of the Junta punishing Chiang Mai?

IIRC a Bangkok Airways flight had a problem last year, after ingesting a lantern into an engine, so yes ... they may indeed pose a danger.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/788723-flight-cancelled-after-lantern-pieces-found-blocking-turbine/

Therefore not at all just the junta, but perhaps the Reds might like to run a campaign, to fly-a-lantern-to bring-Dear-Leader-home-from-the-desert ?

Although I doubt the government would want to piss-off the very many locals in Chiang Mai who don't vote for him or his family !

Edited November 19, 201510 yr by Ricardo

Artique

You do seem to be very childish in your replies,but I do forgive you,I suppose it's all part of growing up.

ad hominem is the best way if you don't have any arguments but want to look right in your own eyes. very predictable

and for sure it's much easier to bash Thais anonymously and smile politely while asking them for a permission to enter their homeland. That is why why I do what I can to show Thai people what many farangs really think of them. And TVF helps me a lot.

if it will sooner or later spoil the life in Thailand of duplicitous people like you - I will be more then happy.

maybe you can send me some money for the brother-in-laws sick buffalo.

Has any plane ever had a problem with a Khom Loy?

Are they a danger?

Or is it just another way of the Junta punishing Chiang Mai?

IIRC a Bangkok Airways flight had a problem last year, after ingesting a lantern into an engine, so yes ... they may indeed pose a danger.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/788723-flight-cancelled-after-lantern-pieces-found-blocking-turbine/

Therefore not at all just the junta, but perhaps the Reds might like to run a campaign, to fly-a-lantern-to bring-Dear-Leader-home-from-the-desert ?

Although I doubt the government would want to piss-off the very many locals in Chiang Mai who don't vote for him or his family !

Phew, I was beginning to worry, it took 30 posts and some 53 hours, but finally we got Thaksin involved as the villain of the piece.

Normal service is resumed!

Edited November 19, 201510 yr by JAG

Phew, I was beginning to worry, it took 30 posts and some 53 hours, but finally we got Thaksin involved as the villain of the piece.

Normal service is resumed!

I take your point, but if it's (wrongly IMHO) being used to beat the junta over the head, then balance is required, which inevitably brings him in.

I also was trying to make the point, not always understood on TV, that Chiang Mai isn't fanatical (as often supposed) about supporting it's favoured son, there IS significant support (used to be more) but definitely not fanatical or overwhelming or (much misused) a landslide.

Artique

You do seem to be very childish in your replies,but I do forgive you,I suppose it's all part of growing up.

ad hominem is the best way if you don't have any arguments but want to look right in your own eyes. very predictable

and for sure it's much easier to bash Thais anonymously and smile politely while asking them for a permission to enter their homeland. That is why why I do what I can to show Thai people what many farangs really think of them. And TVF helps me a lot.

if it will sooner or later spoil the life in Thailand of duplicitous people like you - I will be more then happy.

And i bet your girlfriend is different

Good to see that officials were instructed to check runways (for any debris that may waft in from expired lanterns). But, even thought this should be normal procedure for airport safety rangers, 10 times a day does not seem like too many inspections (unless this number reflects flights cancelled).

Post deleted due to technological incompetence.