TAWAU, April 18, — More than 2,000 passengers have been affected by the cancellation of several flights from Tawau Airport, following the volcanic eruption of Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, yesterday.
Tawau Airport manager Rehan Dhafiq Azizan said there were AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines flights involving Tawau cancelled, while Firefly flights were delayed, in addition to the ‘on hold’ status for Malindo flights.
“Now, we are checking the flight schedules. Indeed there are cancellations. We ask passengers to check the status of their respective flights first,” he said when met by reporters at the airport, here, today.
He said currently, Tawau Airport is still busy with stranded passengers either trying to find alternative flights or looking to change their time or date.
“The check-in counters are still open to facilitate the affairs of passengers who want to change the date or time of their flights, because we do not want them to crowd the counter of their respective airlines.”
As for tomorrow’s flights, they are currently running as scheduled. However, this depends on the development of the situation, which the Malaysian Meteorological Department will update, he said.
Meanwhile, a check by Bernama at Tawau Airport found that many stranded passengers hope airlines would open more inquiry counters to facilitate any transaction.
Associate Prof Dr Mohd Hanif Hassan said having such a counter will enable passengers to get more detailed information, and not just rely on information via email or telephone.
“Put a hotline at the counter; sometimes passengers just want to know latest information, not just to change their flight schedule.
“At least, the passengers are clear about what is happening, whether they have to wait or they can go home first to rest,” said Hanif, who was supposed to depart from Tawau to Kota Kinabalu with his family at 7.30am today.
In SANDAKAN, a check by Bernama found that a similar situation affecting the Sandakan Airport, as passengers were left stranded following the cancellation of flights, including those to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
— Bernama
