oh no! this is no good news as my island escapade holiday is just about to begin within 1 week!
300 penumpang terkandas lampu landasan LTSM tidak berfungsi
KUALA TERENGGANU: Tiga ratus penumpang bagi tiga penerbangan ke Kuala Lumpur terkandas di Lapangan Terbang Sultan Mahmud (LTSM) di sini, malam tadi berikutan kerosakan kabel yang menyebabkan lampu landasan gagal berfungsi.
Penerbangan yang terjejas ialah Penerbangan Malaysia (MAS) MH1338 yang dijadualkan berlepas ke Kuala Lumpur jam 9.15 malam, AirAsia (AK6336) jam 9.20 malam dan Firefly (FY3152) jam 8.30 malam.
Jurucakap Malaysia Airport Berhad (MAB) dalam satu kenyataan yang dikeluarkan lewat malam tadi berkata, LTSM ditutup bermula jam 9 malam tadi hingga 6.30 pagi ini.
Katanya, kerosakan kabel berlaku ketika kontraktor menjalankan kerja menaik taraf lapangan terbang berkenaan.
Bagaimanapun, katanya MAB sudah mengarahkan kontraktor terbabit menjalankan kerja membaiki kerosakan dengan segera.
“Dijangkakan kerja pembaikan dapat diselesaikan malam ini bagi membolehkan operasi kembali pulih selewat-lewatnya jam 6.30 pagi,” katanya di sini, malam tadi.
MAB turut memohon maaf berikutan kesulitan yang dihadapi penumpang.
Tinjauan di LTSM mendapati MAB hanya membuat pengumuman rasmi berhubung penutupan LTSM kepada semua penerbangan yang dijadualkan malam tadi kira-kira jam 9.10 malam.
MAS pula mengeluarkan kenyataan kepada penumpangnya jam 8.30 malam.
Keadaan itu mencetuskan rasa tidak puas hati penumpang termasuk mereka yang mempunyai penerbangan kedua pada awal pagi tadi.
Difahamkan syarikat penerbangan terbabit menyediakan tiket bas ke Kuala Lumpur dan penginapan di beberapa hotel di negeri ini bagi menyelesaikan masalah penumpang.
Pensyarah Shanghai American School, Tom Hopkins, yang dijadualkan menaiki kapal terbang MAS kecewa kerana terpaksa menangguhkan penerbangan kedua ke Shanghai yang dijadualkan jam 1.40 pagi tadi.
Pelajar Universiti Darul Iman Malaysia (UDM), Hafiza Jaya, 21, terpaksa menangguhkan penerbangan dari Kuala Lumpur ke Tawau, Sabah yang dijadualkan jam 6 pagi ini.
“Saya tidak dimaklumkan apa-apa oleh AirAsia sehingga saya tiba di lapangan terbang. Sepatutnya syarikat penerbangan atau MAB memaklumkan lebih awal masalah ini.
“Saya terpaksa menginap di hotel yang diuruskan AirAsia kerana asrama UDM sudah ditutup,” katanya.
Flights from Kuala Trengganu cancelled because runway lights fail
KUALA LUMPUR: Some 300 passengers, some connecting onto international flights, were stranded in Sultan Mahmud Airport here because its runway lights malfunctioned.
Three flights from the airport yesterday evening had to be cancelled.
Two of the flights – by AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines – were supposed to depart for KL International Airport while the other, a Firefly flight, was to go to Penang.
Announcements to the passengers at the airport were made at 9.10pm.
The flights had to be cancelled because three incoming flights – two from KLIA and one from Penang – could not land. The airport authorities had to radio them to turnaround.
Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd in a statement said the malfunction was due to upgrading works at the airport.
It said a cable was damaged which resulted in a malfunction of the runway lights.
“The contractor has been instructed to carry immediate remedial work,” it said.
It said the situation should return to normal by 6.30am today.
A spokesman from the airport, when contacted, said the problem occurred at about 8.30pm just when a flight from KLIA had sought permission to land.
The control tower had to ask the plane to return to KLIA because of the problem.
Many of the passengers at the airport were angry after they were told they had to find other means of transportation to Kuala Lumpur or Penang.
Abdul Karim Mohamad, 35, said he had to rush for a 10pm Kuala Lumpur-bound bus because he had to be at KLIA for a morning flight to Sabah.
“I waited for almost three hours but the airport only made the announcement at the last minute,” he said.
Shanghai-bound passenger, Liew Wee Leng, 45, expressed his disappointment at the situation which caused him to miss his international connection.
“I am not blaming anyone. This is something uncontrollable but the airport authority should have alerted us earlier so that we could make other arrangements,” he said.
It was understood that MAS was making preparations to provide accommodations for stranded passengers.
