Phuket Airport skips memorial for One-Two-Go crash victims again
The Airports of Thailand (AoT) once again dodged the chance to hold an official memorial service in Phuket for the 90 victims of the One-Two-Go Flight OG269 disaster. This marks the 17th consecutive year that local officials have avoided organising any remembrance ceremonies for one of Thailand’s deadliest air crashes.
On the anniversary of the tragedy, Monchai Tanode, General Manager at Phuket International Airport, took part in World Ozone Day events and attended a meeting with the Economic and Business Research Centre at Siam Commercial Bank. The meeting covered macroeconomic research, impact analysis, and passenger growth trends at the airport. Tanode also honoured retiring staff with bouquets in a separate ceremony.
The One-Two-Go Flight 269 crash occurred on September 16, 2007, during an attempted go-around after an aborted landing in heavy rain and strong crosswinds—conditions strikingly similar to those in Phuket yesterday.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-82, carrying 123 passengers and seven crew members on a flight from Bangkok to Phuket, crashed into a runway embankment and erupted in flames after ground control ordered a go-around.
Out of the 130 people on board, 89 died at the scene, with one survivor later succumbing to burn injuries in hospital. Forty others survived but were injured. The passengers included nationals from Thailand, the UK, France, Australia, Canada, and other countries.
Following damning safety reports, budget airline One-Two-Go was shut down by its parent company, Orient Thai, on October 9, 2018, reported Phuket News.
Today, September 18, local rescue worker Chukiat Ayuperm, head of the Kusoldharm Foundation Phuket’s Thepkrasattri branch and a volunteer with the Pitakkarn Foundation, shared his own tribute to the tragic event that rocked Thailand, posting photos of the rescue efforts at the scene.
“I remember the chaos and devastation vividly. It’s something you can never forget.”
