Thailand update: Bangkok airport unrest forces airlines to divert, cancel flights

International airlines that service Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport are diverting and canceling flights after protesters occupying the airport forced a shutdown of operations Tuesday evening. Thailand Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat today (Nov. 26) rejected demands from demonstrators that he call new elections to resolve the political crisis, according to L.A. Times Staff Writer Paul Watson. Thousands of travelers remain stranded at the airport.

Thai Airways announced that five inbound flights today — from Munich, Sydney, Hong Kong, Frankfurt and London — will divert from Suvarnabhumi to Don Mueang Airport, according to its website. The airline also reports that 24 of its international flights have been diverted to Don Mueang and U-Tapao, and that domestic flights in and out of Don Mueang remain on schedule. Passengers are urged to check with Thai Airlines’ announcement Web page for more information.

China Airlines advises passengers on its website that it is canceling flights today (Nov. 26) and Thursday. Direct or connecting flights on Thursday from Rome, Kaohsiung, Taipei and Hong Kong to Bangkok have been canceled. Visit the CAL e-News Web page for updates.

Singapore Airlines is canceling all its flights to and from Bangkok today, citing “the deteriorating security situation and lack of operational service staff at Suvarnabhumi Airport,” according to a statement on its website. The airlines is monitoring the situation to decide when to resume service. Passengers should visit Singapore Airlines news releases Web page for more information.

Malaysia Airlines has canceled flights today between Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, though its twice daily flights between Kuala Lumpur and Phuket, Thailand, are operating on schedule, according to an online report from the airline. “As this closure is indefininte at this point of time, we are unable to advise when our flight operations will resume,” the airline’s director of operations, Dato’ Tajuden Abu Bakar, said in the report. Check the Malaysia Airlines media statement for phone numbers to call about specific flight information.

— Mary Forgione, Los Angeles Times staff writer

[Photo: Planes are idle on the tarmac at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport. Apichart Weerawong/Associated Press]

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 26, 2008 at 12:25 pm by Mary Forgione and is filed under Airline travel, Asia, Business Travel, China. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.