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A Thai Airways plane takes off from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, Feb. 23, 2015. Photo by Reuters |
Operations at the airport were briefly disrupted on Nov. 2 when an Emirates Airbus A380 got stuck on the damaged taxiway, the airport’s second surface failure in just a week.
Emirates flight EK373, bound for Dubai, was unable to continue taxiing while on Taxiway E21 at 9:11 p.m., according to Bangkok Post.
Airport officials requested assistance from ground-handling operator Bangkok Flight Services, which dispatched an aircraft towing vehicle.
The superjumbo aircraft was removed from the affected area at 10:18 p.m. and departed at 10:22 p.m.
Subsequent engineering inspections revealed surface damage to sections of Taxiway E21.
Airports officials said prolonged heavy rain and flooding trapped water beneath the soil.
This water weakened the taxiway, causing it to sink under the weight of the massive double-decker aircraft, which seats 484-615 passengers.
The airport then launched emergency repair work on the taxiway.
According to Pattaya Mailthis schedule allows time for both the physical repairs and new asphalt to fully harden before operations resume.
To keep traffic moving smoothly, the airport is preparing to open a newly extended section of Taxiway D. The new route is currently awaiting safety approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand.
In the interim, Suvarnabhumi Airport is coordinating with Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai) to manage air traffic across the airport’s two remaining operational runways.
Aerothai said the remaining runways can handle normal traffic without major delays.
Airport officials promised to step up inspections and maintenance to prevent future issues.
This mishap comes shortly after an Oct. 28 incident in which the main landing gear of a Taiwan-bound China Airlines Boeing 737-800 sank into a damaged section of Runway 02R prior to takeoff.