2015-01-03 09:17
Bangkok - Bangkok Airways was forced to cancel a flight over the
new year period after a traditional fire lantern was found stuck to the
plane's engine, the airline said Friday.
The Airbus A320 had flown
into Chiang Mai airport in the country's north on Thursday night from
Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport and was due to return to the capital.
As
the plane taxied to its stand, lanterns were spotted floating over the
airport and one was apparently sucked into the engine.
"After the
aircraft parked at the gate, technicians found a lantern stuck to
engine number two and the airline decided to cancel" Flight PG906, an
airline statement said.
The
incident comes at a time of heightened concern over fire lanterns,
small paper balloons usually powered by a candle which are traditionally
released by Thais during festivals and celebrations.
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Scores
of flights from Chiang Mai had to be cancelled in October during a
festival because lanterns drifted into the airport's airspace and
aviation chiefs have previously warned that lamps could be hazardous to
aircraft.
New Year celebrations have seen no let up in stray lanterns despite the warnings.
"We
have collected 200 lanterns inside Chiang Mai airport over New Year's
Eve," Visutr Chantana, the airport's director, told AFP.
In the
latest incident no damage was caused to the aircraft which was later
flown without passengers back to Bangkok for further testing.
"Today our technicians checked the aircraft and found that the engine was fine and safe," Bangkok Airways said.
The
incident comes after an AirAsia jet flying from Surabaya in Indonesia
to Singapore crashed into the sea on Sunday during a storm with 162
people aboard.
On Tuesday another AirAsia jet, this time in the
Philippines, skidded off the runway on arrival at a popular resort
island, causing no injuries but shutting the small airport.
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