Updated: Passengers stranded after Air Malta plane is damaged
Air Malta passengers have been stranded at Athens airport for most of the day after damage was caused to an aircraft door this morning. No one was injured.
The damage was reportedly caused by the 'finger' tunnel which links aircraft to the airport terminal building. The damage was caused when the Air Malta Airbus flew in from Malta early today.
The flight was due to arrive back in Malta at 7 a.m.
An Air Malta official said the flight could be delayed for 24 hours. The passengers have been accommodated in a hotel. Due to this incident a number of other Air Malta flights incurred delays including KM 696 to Tripoli which will be delayed by six hours and KM 5208 to Leeds which will be delayed by three hours.
The official stressed that although the delay was substantial, safety was a priority for the airline.
Popular Stories
Update 3: Woman found dead in car,...
Updated: Woman dies in car crash
Part of Dwejra 'Azure window' collapses
The end of the bar that ‘never closed’
Bundy does not know whether to...
This WAS the night - Kurt makes it...
Updated - Jason Micallef demands...
Petrol price up 6c
'No need for early election if PM's...
In Discussion
13 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Richard Muscat
Sep 4th 2008, 18:53
@K Xuereb
Of course they would don't be silly! The cost of crashing and losing an aircraft is orders of magnitude higher than that of a few hours additional airports costs and maintenance fees. Especially since in most cases low-cost airlines don't actually own the aircraft themselves. Losing a plane would likely put a typical low cost airline out of business just from paying for the machine... besides the hugely negative publicity that no airline - low-cost or not - ever wants.
Daniel C
Sep 4th 2008, 18:36
I agree with K Xuereb, Air Malta did well to follow safety procedures, there is limited things you can do when an accident like this happens, well done Air Malta!
K Xuereb
Sep 3rd 2008, 13:34
@ Mark Zarb
Being put up in a hotel or not is not really the point. The thrust of most of these comments is that Air Malta did not take any chances. Would low cost airlines readily ground one of its own planes like Air Malta did?
M. Zarb
Sep 3rd 2008, 12:29
I don't get the whole bashing of low cost airlines that seems to occur on every post regarding flights. Yes, AirMalta provides very good service (much better than BA, or the now-gone BritishJet for that matter) - but you get what you paid for. If I choose to pay £50 for a return flight rather than £200 per person (and yes, with some searching and date-tweaking, it's not that hard to find cheap flights), then I do NOT expect to be put up in a hotel - and that's a risk I'd happily take, if it saves me £150.
Karl Abela
Sep 3rd 2008, 00:39
Although this is a good effort by Air Malta I do believe that this was the cheapest way out. Other airlines would have sent another plane to collect the passengers or, even better, contract another airline (just like we already do with Lufthansa) to bring the passengers on an empty leg. Like this the passengers would have been off their schedule for just 2 or 3 hours, not 24 hours!!!
David Martinelli
Sep 2nd 2008, 23:40
Hats off to Air Malta!!
I remember having a similar experience with British Airways when an Air France flight skidded off the runway in Toronto after attempting to land in heavy rain. Flight was diverted to Ottawa Airport, and forced to wait in a holding pattern for 4 hours. The service at the airport stunk, but BA made sure that it's passengers would be put up in hotels and that we were fed. All at the airline's expense. Unfortunately, incidences like these do crop up from time to time and are beyond our control.
I don't think you would get this level of customer service when you fly a low cost airline. Bravo to Air Malta!!
Joseph Sammut
Sep 2nd 2008, 21:51
NO LOW PRICE ARCRAFT GOOD NO DO IT IN A COUPLE OF HOURS.
AS ON SATURDAY 30TH 8 WE WERE DELAYED FOR 15 HOURS 30 MINUTES BY RYANAIR
AT BARCELONA (GIRONA) AIRPORT AND WE WERE NOT PUT IN A HOTEL THEY ONLY GAVE US 10 EUROS TO SPEND ALL DAY THE FLIGHT WAS SUPPOSE TO TAKE OF FOR STANSTEAD AIRPORT AT 6.30 AM WE GOT HOME AT 00.15
THATS LOW COST AIRLINES FOR YOU
George Attard
Sep 2nd 2008, 20:56
Good story
mario agius
Sep 2nd 2008, 18:03
i bet low cost would have managed in a couple of hours. whether they would have arrived safely is another question as can be seen from past weeks. well done air malta. in such matters safety come first but remember that passengers SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF PROPERLY WHILE WAITING.
Ian BArtolo
Sep 2nd 2008, 18:03
...and same to me. I agree with Audry Callus & CArmen Debattista. .....Airmalta best ever!
Audrey Callus
Sep 2nd 2008, 17:42
This is what you get when you do not fly low cost....excellent security and safety measures and top notch customer care....well done and thank you Airmalta...
carmen Debattista
Sep 2nd 2008, 17:22
Well done Air Malta! priority first to passengers. My family and I always use our airlines to travel, we have confidence and feel proud of our pilots, we feel safe flying with them. It is better to arrive late then never. This means that Air Malta never takes risks, when something occurs they operate immediately. No wonder every time we land all Maltese clapp our hands together to thank our Maltese pilots and crew.
Anthony A. Mifsud
Sep 2nd 2008, 15:25
A big weldone to Air Malta, at least the passangers are / where set up in a Hotel, the last time that I / we got bumped off from a flight Tripoli Malta.
We just got bumped off, but we were given a stone cold sandwitch, and adrink cola!!
The most important thing is that the passangers are safe and that is positive.
Toni