Nok Airlines has defended the hour-long evacuation of passengers through the plane that crashed off the runway right after landing at Chiang Rai on Saturday night, saying it had been in strict compliance with safety techniques.
Nok Airlines Plc gave the explanation in a declaration issued onTuesday according to complaints by passengers that most of them had been kept inside the rigid aircraft cabin for over an hour, without lights and without an adequate air flow, told only that they were waiting for buses.
Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) director Suttipong Kongpool, said on Monday that the chief pilot associated with Flight DD108 would be summoned to explain the delay.
The Add Mueang-Chiang Rai flight with 164 travellers and six crew slid off the catwalk and its undercarriage collapsed as it landed within heavy rain in Mae Fah Luang international airport about nine. 06pm.
Passengers said the captain switched off the engines, departing the passenger cabin in darkness minus airconditioning. They had been left in rigid conditions for over an hour or so before being evacuated.
In the statement, Nok Air offered an apology for any inconvenience and miscommunication that might have incurred passengers’ displeasure.
It said the particular airline had implemented maximum safety techniques by taking into consideration the particular passengers in the air travel and coordinating with a work unit regarding evacuating them with a slide from the doorway, as a stairway could not be placed properly aganst the aircraft because of the heavy rain and wet ground.
Furthermore, there might also have been animals around that could have posed a danger to the passengers.
Therefore , the passengers had been told to wait until their safety had been assured, the statement said.