The Thailand-based carrier Phuket Air has been banned from flying to Britain just weeks after safety scares relating to one of its aircraft.
As reported by News From Abroad Ltd, the airline was thrust into the media spotlight last month after passengers refused to allow a jet take off from Sharjah airport, where it had refuelled, after fuel was seen leaking out of a wing.
The carrier tried to blame the passengers for the outcry, even alleging that many of those who complained were drunk.
However, just two days later, another flight had to be abandoned shortly after leaving Gatwick for Bangkok, because the aircraft had developed hydraulic problems. Some 50 tonnes of fuel had to be dumped – and other faults were subsequently discovered on other Phuket Air planes.
But now, according to The Guardian, the carrier has had its operating licence suspended in the UK and also the Netherlands, its other European destination.
The newspaper reports that one Phuket Air jet still remains at Gatwick, where it had been impounded due to alleged unpaid landing duties totalling more than £100,000.
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd www.newsfromabroad.com
