ID :
156815
Tue, 01/11/2011 - 16:37
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/156815
The shortlink copeid
AIRASIA PLANE SKIDS OFF RUNWAY, FORCES CLOSURE OF KUCHING AIRPORT
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 (Bernama) -- An AirAsia aircraft from here skidded off
the runway as it landed in Kuching during heavy rain last night, slightly
injuring four passengers and forcing the closure of the Kuching International
Airport.
Malaysia Airports Berhad (MAB) said the airport remained closed as at 11am
Tuesday, and that 24 incoming and outgoing flights had been affected by then.
MAB said the aircraft skidded and veered off the runway upon landing at
10.02pm.
Flight AK5218 of the budget airline had originated from the Low-Cost Carrier
Terminal (LCCT) in Kuala Lumpur.
Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha, who spoke to reporters after opening
the National Maritime Conference Tuesday, said the plane was carrying 124
passengers and six crew and that four passengers were slightly injured and sent
for treatment at the Kuching Hospital.
A passenger, Balai Ringin Assemblyman Snowdan Lawan, speaking to reporters
in Kuching Monday night, said the plane veered sharply to the left and right
after it touched down and then skidded off the runway onto soft ground.
"I was not sure at which section of the runway it skidded as it was raining
and dark. When I alighted from the plane, I noticed that the nose-wheel tyre
seemed to have been damaged," he said.
MAB said work to tow the aircraft away from where it had stalled was being
undertaken with the assistance of AirAsia engineers but the heavy rain last
night had hampered the effort.
It said only one flight, MH2505 of Malaysia Airlines, was allowed to
department from Kuching, at 7.30am Tuesday.
Of the 24 affected flights, 11 were operated by AirAsia, eight by Malaysia
Airlines and five by MASWings, it said.
MAB advised passengers to contact airline offices to enquire about the
status of their flights departing from or arriving at the Kuching airport.
It said it was working closely with AirAsia and related agencies at the
airport to expedite the resumption of flights into and out of Kuching.
-- BERNAMA
the runway as it landed in Kuching during heavy rain last night, slightly
injuring four passengers and forcing the closure of the Kuching International
Airport.
Malaysia Airports Berhad (MAB) said the airport remained closed as at 11am
Tuesday, and that 24 incoming and outgoing flights had been affected by then.
MAB said the aircraft skidded and veered off the runway upon landing at
10.02pm.
Flight AK5218 of the budget airline had originated from the Low-Cost Carrier
Terminal (LCCT) in Kuala Lumpur.
Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha, who spoke to reporters after opening
the National Maritime Conference Tuesday, said the plane was carrying 124
passengers and six crew and that four passengers were slightly injured and sent
for treatment at the Kuching Hospital.
A passenger, Balai Ringin Assemblyman Snowdan Lawan, speaking to reporters
in Kuching Monday night, said the plane veered sharply to the left and right
after it touched down and then skidded off the runway onto soft ground.
"I was not sure at which section of the runway it skidded as it was raining
and dark. When I alighted from the plane, I noticed that the nose-wheel tyre
seemed to have been damaged," he said.
MAB said work to tow the aircraft away from where it had stalled was being
undertaken with the assistance of AirAsia engineers but the heavy rain last
night had hampered the effort.
It said only one flight, MH2505 of Malaysia Airlines, was allowed to
department from Kuching, at 7.30am Tuesday.
Of the 24 affected flights, 11 were operated by AirAsia, eight by Malaysia
Airlines and five by MASWings, it said.
MAB advised passengers to contact airline offices to enquire about the
status of their flights departing from or arriving at the Kuching airport.
It said it was working closely with AirAsia and related agencies at the
airport to expedite the resumption of flights into and out of Kuching.
-- BERNAMA
