“We cleared the runway for this aeroplane to land,” Phuket International Airport General Manager Petch Chancharoen told The Phuket News today (May 10).
“The captain asked to make an urgent landing due to smoke in the passenger cabin at 12:41pm after the crew found a passenger’s phone heating up, causing the phone to emit smoke. There were no flames,” he added.
The aircraft, a Boeing 777, was carrying a total of 214 passengers and crew, landed safely, Mr Petch noted.
“The airline took good care of their passengers and had them transferred to a hotel. They will board their flight to depart at about 11am today,” Mr Petch explained.
“For other details about safety procedures and the situation, you will have to talk with the airline,” Mr Petch said.
KLM reported in a statement on its website that Flight KL 809 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur made a “stopover” in Phuket. (See statement here.)
“Smoke accumulated in the cabin when a passenger’s mobile phone overheated,” confirmed the statement.
“The crew handled the situation well and the captain opted to land the aircraft as a precautionary measure. The aircraft landed safely and at no time were passengers or crew in danger.
“A safety check has since been carried out in the cabin and the aircraft has been released for departure. Owing to compulsory crew work and rest times, the flight to Kuala Lumpur cannot continue immediately and passengers and crew are being accommodated in hotels in Phuket.
“As a result, the flight has incurred an 18-hour delay. The onward flight to Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta- Kuala Lumpur has been cancelled. KLM regrets the inconvenience this is causing our passengers.”