Writer: BOONSONG KOSITCHOTETHANA
Published: 11/08/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business
Bangkok Airways aims to write off the ATR 72-500 turboprop damaged in last Tuesday’s plane crash at Samui Airport.
The privately owned carrier has filed a US$11.7-million compensation claim with Bangkok Insurance for the total loss of the French-made plane, said the airline’s vice president M.L. Nandhika Varavarn.
International aviation experts agree that the aircraft cannot be fixed, given the extensive damage to its nose section - regarded as the nerve centre of the plane - and that any repairs could raise safety fears.
The carrier’s view of the aircraft as a write-off reflects the airline’s unwillingness to return the plane to its fleet even if repaired.
"Safety is our priority, " said M.L. Nandhika.
The insurance company must dispose of the aircraft wreckage after authorities, the manufacturer and other parties have completed their investigation into the accident, aviation experts said.
Last Tuesday, the airplane slid off a runway after landing at Samui Airport and then ploughed into a disused control tower, killing its pilot and and injuring 12 passengers and crew, four of them seriously.
Preliminary theories suggest wind sheer may have affected the plane as it touched down in heavy rains at about 2.30 pm. Flight PG 266 from Krabi was carrying 68 passengers, two pilots and two crew members.
Bangkok Airways has no immediate plans to replace the aircraft, given the fall in demand during the downturn, said M.L. Nandhika.
The airline’s fleet consists of seven Airbus A319s, three Airbus A320s and two Boeing 717s as well as eight ATR 72 turboprops for feeder routes.
But the airline is due to return its two B717s to the leasing company in September and October this year. Two ATR 72s have also been leased to PB Air, another domestic airline.
Bangkok Airways’ insurance provides up to $750 million coverage per air accident, said the airline’s executive.
The airline’s bookings are intact and passenger traffic on its flights to and from Samui has been unaffected by the accident, she said.
*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *