Thai Lion Air Boeing 737 flight to Bangkok cancelled at Kolkata airport after 'technical snag'; 130 passengers stranded
KOLKATA: Yet another Boeing aircraft, this time a B 737-800 plane of low-cost carrier Thai Lion Air, developed a snag at Kolkata airport on Saturday, leading to the flight's cancellation.
The flight from Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, touched down at Kolkata airport with 151 passengers on board at 1.23 am on Saturday.
As per schedule, passengers bound for Thailand boarded the aircraft, and the aircraft pushed back for departure at 2.35 am. However, with the air-conditioning malfunctioning in the aircraft, the pilot reported a technical snag and requested to return to the parking bay.
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After it returned to the parking stand at 2.43 am, passengers were asked to alight as it was hot and humid in the aircraft. Later, when it became apparent that engineers needed to be flown in from Thailand to fix the issue, the 130 passengers on the flight were accommodated in a hotel.
Airport officials said engineers from Thailand arrived on Saturday afternoon and that the aircraft would be ready to depart around 2.30 am on Sunday. However, sources said the airline was expecting the flight to depart by 9 am on Sunday.
The plane is around 10 years old and did its first flight on Dec 22, 2015.
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