Suvarnabhumi International Airport confirmed that an Emirates Airbus A380 became stuck on a runway on Monday, September 2, and that urgent repairs were underway.
Two aviation Facebook pages reported yesterday, November 3 that the aircraft had been unable to move on a taxiway at Suvarnabhumi Airport. They shared screen recordings from a flight-tracking application showing the aircraft stationary while other planes used nearby routes.
The airport later confirmed that flight EK373, bound for Dubai, was unable to continue taxiing on Taxiway E21 at 9.11pm on Monday. It contacted ground handler Bangkok Flight Services to provide a towing vehicle. The aircraft was moved clear at 10.18pm and took off four minutes later.
The incident was the second reported aircraft-related surface failure at the airport. On October 28, a China Airlines aircraft’s main landing gear sank into the surface at a nearby location.
An inspection after the Emirates incident found damage to part of the taxiway. Airport officials attributed it to prolonged heavy rain and flooding around the airport, which they said had increased the amount of water beneath the soil.
Officials said the additional moisture was believed to have weakened the pavement, causing it to give way under the aircraft’s weight.
Airports of Thailand (AOT) said the centre runway, 02R/20L, was closed for 13 hours, from 7pm on November 3 until 8am on November 4, for repairs. Taxiway E21 was scheduled to close for 48 hours, until 8am on November 6, to allow repairs and time for the surface to set and regain sufficient structural strength.
Taxiway E19 was also to close temporarily for structural inspections before being designated as an alternative route while E21 was unavailable.
Aeronautical Radio of Thailand said the airport’s two other runways could handle traffic. The airport said flights had not been affected.
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