Phuket Airport’s rain-check: Dampening floors lead to a slip-up

Phuket International Airport, managed by Airports of Thailand (AoT Phuket), recently experienced a minor slip-up. A leaky roof in the arrivals hall of the domestic terminal led to some disruption, leading the airport to extend a public apology and caution to those visiting the terminal about the possibility of a dampening experience on the floor.

The apology from AoT Phuket relayed through the Phuket Info Centre, clarified the situation of rainwater leaking from the roof of the domestic passenger building. The statement, titled Phuket Airport Clarifying the issue of rainwater leaking from the Passenger Building, was issued yesterday.

The leak occurred in the Buffer Zone area, fronting the Arrivals Hall on the ground floor of the Domestic Passenger Building. Pictures of the leak were shared on various social media platforms, drawing attention to the situation.

The airport authority was quick to explain that the leak was due to heavy rain and strong winds causing a large amount of rainwater to flow into the building. The existing drainage channels were overwhelmed, leading to an overflow of water to the Buffer Zone area, Arrivals Hall, and the first floor of the Domestic Passenger Building.

This has resulted in a few unfortunate incidents of passengers slipping and falling in the affected area, reported The Phuket News.

Upon becoming aware of the situation, the medical team at Phuket International Airport promptly attended to the victims of such accidents. Simultaneously, measures were taken to mitigate further accidents, such as cordoning off the area and installing warning signs about the wet, slippery floor.

Safety survey

Phuket International Airport is actively addressing the issue. A thorough survey of the defects has been initiated to improve the drainage system and prevent the recurrence of such incidents. Employees and officials have been instructed to closely monitor the situation and facilitate passengers to ensure their safety.

The airport authority expressed its regret over the incident and extended its apologies to the affected passengers.

This incident comes on the heels of another issue last month when AoT Phuket had to apologise for the failure of the air conditioning system at the international terminal. The problem was only publicly acknowledged after Phuket MP Thitikan Thitipruethikul highlighted the airport’s failure to fix the problem promptly.

These issues are posing challenges for AoT Phuket, which is planning to spend 6 billion baht to increase the airport’s capacity. The goal is to accommodate increased air traffic volume from 20 flights per hour to 25 flights per hour and no less than 18 million passengers per year.