Airport Authority threatens to seize Thai jet stranded in Hong Kong for months
Beleaguered Orient Thai Airlines has failed to pay for maintenance work, thought to be a six-figure sum, on the stricken aircraft
A jumbo jet belonging to a beleaguered Thai airline faces seizure by the Airport Authority, just weeks after aviation officials impounded an ex-Russian jetliner.
For months, Orient Thai Airlines has failed to pay aeronautical and maintenance fees on the stricken jet, leaving the Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company (Haeco) andthe airport operatorcircling for its dues.
It joined the estimated 10,000 passengers affected by cancellations from Hong Kong – many of whom were left out of pocket as refunds failed to materialise after flights with the carrier were halted in March.
A string of aviation incidents revealed a chequered past with planes left stranded, money owed to both companies and passengers, and a number of safety incidents.
Orient Thai’s Boeing 747 aircraft has been parked near the maintenance hangars since March. Engineers from Haeco have removed and attempted to replace one of the engines, but work stopped over a lack of payment – thought to be a six-figure sum – and the 24-year-old jumbo jet was left engineless and out of service.
The maintenance firm’s spokeswoman Sharon Lun said: “Since we did not receive any further engineering instructions from the airline and the required payment has not been settled, we stopped the services.”