More flights from HK to take passengers stranded in Thailand

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-11-30 09:15

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong's airways on Saturday mounted more special flights to Thailand to carry home passengers stranded in Thailand due to mounting tensions in its capital Bangkok.

An anti-government demonstrator waves the Thai national flag during a rally at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport November 29, 2008. [Agencies]

A spokesman for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said Saturday the six special flights operated by Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Express and Orient Thai Airlines had flown more than 1,100 Hong Kong residents in the past two days back to Hong Kong from Pattaya, Thailand.

The HKSAR government said a group of Hong Kong residents are on the way Saturday evening to Guangzhou, capital of neighboring Guangdong Province, from Pattaya, taking a special flight arranged by authorities in the Chinese mainland.

He said a certain number of seats will be set aside for Hong Kong residents in another special flight organized by the Chinese mainland.

The government spokesman reminded Hong Kong residents encountering difficulties in Thailand can seek assistance or updated information from HKSAR government's immigration officers in Bangkok, even if they are running out of cash to pay for contingency expenditure.

Although most parts of Bangkok are calm, the Security Bureau of HKSAR government repeated its advice that Hong Kong residents should avoid unnecessary travel to Bangkok.

Hong Kong-based aviation giant Cathay Pacific said in a statement here Saturday it will mount another special flight Sunday to Utapao Airport, south of Bangkok, to bring travelers stranded in Thailand back to Hong Kong.

According to Cathay Pacific's arrangements, the airline is sending a 385-seat Boeing 777-300 from Hong Kong International airport Sunday morning at 9:30 Hong Kong time (0130 GMT Sunday) to pick up passengers.

Cathay Pacific's Sunday flight will be the third special flight the airline has mounted in three days to help passengers stranded by the closure of Bangkok's two major airports.

"We are trying our very best in very difficult circumstances to bring home as many people as we can, and we will certainly try to do more if conditions in Thailand allow us to do so," a Cathay Pacific spokesman said, "our staff have also been working around the clock to cope with the situation."

Due to the limited facilities at Utapao Airport, a military airstrip, Cathay Pacific appealed to passengers to be patient and understanding as staff at the airport were working "under very difficult conditions" in manually processing ticketing and boarding.

The spokesman said that Cathay Pacific had applied for further special flights to the same airport on Monday and Tuesday, depending on demand, regulatory approval and local circumstances. The airline has brought back to Hong Kong almost 800 passengers on its two special flights on Saturday and Friday.

Meanwhile, Dragonair also announced it will operate an additional flight from Thailand's Phuket to Hong Kong in the early hours of Monday using a larger A330 aircraft.

Dragonair said it will continue to monitor the situation in Thailand and will make special arrangements to offer assistance to passengers affected by the closure of Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.