Hong Kong Airlines flight’s hiccup leads to Bangkok u-turn

A technical issue compelled a Hong Kong Airlines flight to promptly return to Bangkok shortly after initiating its journey to Hong Kong. The incident unfolded on March 31, affecting flight HX780, which was carrying over 200 passengers.

According to flight data, the Airbus A330-300 twin-jet aircraft commenced circling the airspace shortly after its 2 am departure. By 2:25 am, the decision was made to return to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.

The airline attributed the abrupt return to a non-specific “technical issue” that arose shortly after take-off, prioritizing the safety of all on board. The aircraft landed safely back at Bangkok airport, with no injuries reported among the passengers.

Hong Kong Airlines affirmed that all necessary safety protocols were adhered to in their statement. To mitigate inconvenience, the airline arranged same-day flights to Hong Kong for affected passengers and provided hotel accommodations for those requiring accommodation.

Expressing gratitude for the passengers’ understanding, the airline also informed the relevant authorities of the incident as per standard procedure and extended apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Following the resolution of the technical issue, the flight eventually departed Bangkok at 7:41 pm, reaching Hong Kong at 10:55 pm, as per flightradar24.com. However, this arrival was significantly delayed, occurring over 16 hours later than the initially scheduled arrival time of 5:55 am, as reported by Bangkok Post.

In another airline-related development, Jetstar Airways faced backlash from passengers when a flight from Bangkok to Singapore encountered a delay of more than 24 hours.

On Wednesday, March 13, Jetstar Asia flight 3K516, scheduled for a 1:35 pm departure from Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Singapore time, with an anticipated arrival at Changi Airport by 5:05 pm, left 161 passengers stranded.

Regrettably, the airline failed to depart from Thailand’s premier airport, resulting in passengers waiting until 10 pm before the flight was eventually canceled.