Suvarnabhumi Taxiway Repair After Emirates A380 Gets Stuck

Emergency Suvarnabhumi taxiway repair work began on Tuesday evening after an Emirates Airbus A380 became stuck on a damaged section of Taxiway E21 at Bangkok's main airport, the Bangkok Post and Thai PBS reported. The taxiway will stay closed until 8am on Friday, November 6, but the airport says flights should not be seriously disrupted.

It is the second pavement problem at Thailand's busiest airport in less than a week.

What happened to the Emirates jet

According to a statement from Suvarnabhumi Airport, Emirates flight EK373 to Dubai could not keep taxiing while on Taxiway E21 at 9.11pm on Monday, November 2. Ground handler Bangkok Flight Services sent a towing vehicle, the aircraft was moved at 10.18pm and it took off at 10.22pm.

An inspection then found surface damage on part of the taxiway. Airport officials blamed long spells of heavy rain and flooding around the airport, which raised the amount of water under the soil. They believe this weakened the pavement, which then gave way under the weight of the superjumbo.

The incident came after a China Airlines Boeing 737-800 got stuck in soft pavement near Taxiway E21 and runway 02R on October 28 near the same area, according to aviation news site FL360aero.

Repair schedule and closures

Thairath English reported that Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn ordered urgent repairs. Airports of Thailand (AOT) set out the following plan:

• Runway 02R/20L (the centre runway): closed from 7pm on November 3 to 8am on November 4, about 13 hours, to repair an area of roughly 15 by 100 metres, dug out to about 33 centimetres deep.
• Taxiway E21: an area of about 10 by 45 metres repaired to the same depth, then kept closed until 8am on November 6 so the new surface can harden.
• Taxiway E19: closed for a short time for strength checks before reopening as an alternative route.

The airport also plans to open a newly built extension of Taxiway D near the damaged area to give aircraft another route to runway 02R/20L. The extension is being checked by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), which is also inspecting the site.

Will passengers be affected?

Suvarnabhumi has three runways. During the work, flights will use the other two. AOT, working with Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai), said these runways have enough capacity, so no significant disruption to overall airport services is expected.

Still, travellers flying through Bangkok this week, including those connecting to Phuket, may want to:

• check their flight status with the airline before leaving for the airport;
• allow extra time for connections, in case of short taxiing delays;
• keep an eye on official weather warnings.

Questions about drainage and pavement

Two incidents in one week have raised questions about drainage and the strength of the airfield under heavy wide-body jets. Thairath reported that a longer-term plan is being drawn up, and the CAAT plans to discuss further measures next week.

Planning a trip? Read our Thailand airport tips, our Phuket airport guide and the latest heavy rain and flood warning.

Photo: Emirates Airbus A380 on approach to Suvarnabhumi Airport, May 2017, by Alec Wilson / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. File photo.