Runway blackout: Krabi Airport power failure affects 508 passengers

Krabi International Airport suffered a power failure on the runway on Saturday night, affecting three flights and 508 passengers.

The Acting Director of the Airport Department, Montri Dechasakulsom, reported that a power failure occurred at the third apron of Krabi Airport on Saturday, March 2, preventing aircraft from landing or taking off at the time. Montri said three flights and 508 passengers were affected including:

• Thai VietJet Air flight VZ345 with 193 passengers
• Bangkok Airways flight PG146 with 145 passengers
• Fly Dubai flight FZ1482 with 170 passengers

Montri assured the public that the airport would facilitate the affected passengers in accordance with the rules to protect the rights of passengers.

The airport later updated that its team managed to resolve the problem with the Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI), the system that provided visual guidance to the runway yesterday, March 3. As a result, some flights were able to take off during the day.

The Minister of Transport, Suriya Juangroongruangkit, suggested the airport use portable runway lights while the electrical system is repaired, and urged the team to solve the problem by the end of yesterday to avoid affecting other flights.

The ministry, the airport and the Krabi Provincial Public Relations Department have not yet provided an update on the repair. Passengers affected by the problem can contact the airport and each airline on the following numbers:

• Krabi International Airport 07-570-1472
• Thai VietJet Air 082-282-1237
• Bangkok Airways 061-172-7210
• Thai AirAsia 02-029-7866

Krabi International Airport is under a development plan. Its new passenger terminal, which will be the airport’s third terminal, is under construction and is expected to be completed by the end of this year, 2024.

The new terminal would allow the airport to handle 3,000 passengers per hour or eight million passengers per year, up from 1,500 passengers per hour or four million people per year.

In November of last year, a dramatic incident unfolded at Krabi Airport, sparked by a water leak within a recently constructed parking building. The completion of this structure had taken place less than a year prior to the incident, prompting criticism from both Thai netizens and residents in the vicinity.