Pray for me as I wld be flying to Kuching tis Fri - and we all hate delays!

AirAsia plane skids at Kuching airport
By SHAUN HO

Published: Tuesday January 11, 2011 MYT 11:16:00 AM
Updated: Tuesday January 11, 2011 MYT 11:25:39 AM



KUALA LUMPUR: An AirAsia flight to Kuching skidded off the runway on Monday night and landed on the grass verge leaving four passengers with minor injuries.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said flight AK5218, which is an Airbus A320, was carrying 124 passengers and six crew members.

“The plane was landing during a downpour and that is when it skidded,” he said.

Kong said the plane had landed on soft soil on the verge of the runway. AirAsia and Kuching International Airport staff have been working to remove the plane for checks.

As a result of the incident, services at the airport was disrupted, with up to 11 flights to the Kuching International Airport affected.

“I expect services at the airport to resume by noon,” he said after opening the National Maritime Conference in Kuala Lumpur.

AirAsia Group Chief Executive Datuk Tony Fernandes tweeted the incident and said that his staff were working to remove the plane.

“Working hard to remove aircraft. All passengers are home,” Fernandes said in his tweet.



Kuching International Airport closed temporarily to facilitate AirAsia aircraft removal works

Published: Tuesday January 11, 2011 MYT 11:50:00 AM
Updated: Tuesday January 11, 2011 MYT 11:55:26 AM



KUCHING: The Kuching International Airport is expected to be closed until further notice Tuesday for arrival and departure flights, A Malaysia Airports Bhd statement said.

This was due to an incident on Monday night when an AirAsia flight AK5218 from Kuala Lumpur, upon landing on runway 25 at 10.02pm during heavy rain, skidded and veered of the runway at Kuching International Airport. All passengers were evacuated safely from the aircraft.

Actions to remove aircraft, together with AirAsia Engineering Team, are currently undertaken but the removal works are currently hampered by the continuous heavy rain since Monday night.

Only one flight was released for departure from Kuching International at 7.30am Tuesday - flight MH2505 to Kuala Lumpur.

At the time of release, the affected departure flights are:-

AirAsia

1. AK6036 departure to Kota Kinabalu at 6.10am

2. AK5203 departure to Kuala Lumpur at 6.15am

3. AK6562 departure to Bintulu at 6.20am

4. AK6526 departure to Bintulu at 8.35am

5. AK5201 departure to Kuala Lumpur at 9.35am

6. AK6673 departure to Singapore at 9.50am

7. AK5843 departure to Johor Bharu at 10.30am

8. AK6546 departure to Miri at 11.10am

9. AK5205 departure to Kuala Lumpur at 11.55am

10. AK6505 departure to Penang at 12.20pm

11. AK5207 departure to Kuala Lumpur at 1.55pm

Malaysia Airlines

1. MH2802 departure to Miri at 7.00am

2. MH2290 departure to Bintulu at 7.20am

3. MH2266 departure to Sibu at 10.30am

4. MH643 departure to Singapore at 10.40am

5. MH2507 departure to Kuala Lumpur at 11.05am

6. MH2653 departure to Johor Bharu at 12.05pm

7. MH2564 departure to Miri at 12.35pm

8. MH2513 departure to Kuala Lumpur at 12.45pm

MASWings

1. MH3692 departure to Sibu at 6.00am

2. MH3904 departure to Bintulu/Miri at 6.40am

3. MH3690 departure to Sibu at 7.00am

4. MH3711 departure to Tanjung Manis at 7.25am

5. MH3411 departure to Mukah at 9.10am

Passengers are advised to contact their airline’s offices to enquire about their flight status departing or arriving at Kuching International Airport.

Malaysia Airports is currently working closely with AirAsia and other related agencies at the airport to expedite the resumption of flight operations at the airport.