Altogether 448 flights arriving at and departing from Suvarnabhumi international airport on Tuesday were delayed after a THAI Boeing 744 plane skidded out off the runway and with some of its wheels stuck on the ground forcing the airport authorities to close the western runway.
Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisit said that the western runway, was closed from 12.30 am to 5 pm after Thai Airways International’s flight TG 679 bound for Guangzhou skidded out off the runway and its left-side wheels got stuck on the ground.
He said the temporary close of the western runway left the eastern runway the only runway still operating. The troubled runway was reopened at around 4 pm after mechanics succeeded in moving the plane out of the runway.
The delayed flights included 179 incoming flights which were forced to stay airborne for some time before they could finally land and 264 flights departing from the airport. Five flights were diverted to secondary airports.
