The stricken Thai Airways International aircraft causing ongoing delays at Suvarnabhumi airport will be hauled off the crash site for repairs by midnight on Tuesday, THAI president Sorajak Kasemsuvan has announced.
The damaged Thai Airways International Airbus is stranded off the eastern runway of Suvarnabhumi airport after crash-landing on Sunday night. THAI said it should be removed from the crash site on Tuesday night. (Photo by Somchai Poomlard)
THAI officials will begin the operation to move the Airbus A330-300 aircraft from the eastern runway, which is still partly closed, tonight.
Two trailers will be used to haul it to a temporary parking space in a hangar at Suvarnabhumi airport and the job could be completed by midnight, Mr Sorajak said.
Fllight TG679 from Guangzhou, China, veered off the eastern runway after touching down at 11.30pm on Sunday night. A preliminary investigation blamed malfunctioning landing gear for causing the accident, which injured 14 of 287 passengers on board.
The Department of Civil Aviation will send the plane's black box to the aircraft manufacturer to find out more about the cause of the crash. Department chief Woradet Harnprasert said the agency has not yet decided whether to send it to an Airbus office in Singapore or the company's headquarters in Toulouse, France.
Airport general manager Rawewan Netrakavesna said the damaged surface has been completely repaired so the runway will be reopened on Wednesday morning as planned.
Suvarnabhumi services about 900 inbound and outbound flights a day. Flights out of the airport are currently running about 30 minutes late, while planes coming into the airport are around 15 minutes behind the schedule as a result of the incident.