AND Canadian traveler he allegedly experienced a panic attack as the plane took off from Chiang Mai International Airport tried last night open the plane door, which caused chaos and delays at the airport. The situation was brought under control around 11 p.m.
Facebook account Watcharapon Pethsurp posted about the incident at around 9:57 pm yesterday, February 7. The post included a picture of a 40-year-old Canadian citizen, Wong Sai Heung, standing on the plane.
“The plane was supposed to take off, but this passenger had a panic attack and tried to open the door. When will I arrive in Bangkok?”
The problem occurred on Thai Airways flight TG121 Chiang Mai-Bangkok. The flight was originally scheduled to depart from Chiang Mai International Airport at 21:05 and arrived at Suvarnabhumi International Airport about one hour later.
MGR reported that Wong left his seat, approached one of the flight attendants and pushed her toward the plane’s door. He demanded that the flight attendant open the plane’s door, forcing the pilot to make an emergency stop on the runway.
The plane eventually returned to its parking lot and officers arrived to arrest the panicked foreigner for further legal action. Other passengers, mostly foreigners, were escorted to a hotel near the airport, where they waited for their rescheduled flight to Bangkok.
Thai Airways later officially announced that the plane had been thoroughly inspected to ensure the safety of the passengers. The flight successfully departed Suvarnabhumi Airport at 12.34am today, February 8. The airline has confirmed that all passengers and cabin crew are safe.
Punishment
The problem also affected the schedule of other flights departing and landing at Chiang Mai Airport. MGR Online reported that Korean Air’s Incheon-Chiang Mai flight KE677 had to land at Suvarnabhumi Airport instead, and Busan-Chiang Mai flight 7C4257 had to land at Wattay International Airport in Laos.
The situation was eventually brought under control, which allowed the plane to land again around 11 p.m.
Chiang Mai Airport, Thai Airways and the police have yet to reveal the penalty for the panicked Wong. According to the Act on certain offenses against air navigation, a foreigner can face three criminal charges, namely:
- Section 7: Violation or disobedience of orders to maintain order and order at the airport. The penalty will be imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to 40,000 baht or both.
- Section 13: Intimidation of cabin crew by threats or actions of any kind. The penalty will be imprisonment of up to seven years, a fine of up to 280,000 baht or both.
- Section 17: taking control of an aircraft by using force or threatening to damage the aircraft. The punishment will be the death penalty, life imprisonment or imprisonment for 10 to 20 years.
In addition to the legal consequences, the foreigner may have to pay compensation to Thai Airways for the loss.
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