UDON THANI, Thailand – Udon Thani Airport returned to normal operations after an aircraft experienced a problem on the runway on the morning of July 22, forcing a temporary closure and causing delays to several flights. The Department of Airports said the incident occurred on Runway 12/30, where an aircraft became disabled and had to be removed from the runway area. Airport officials temporarily suspended runway operations to ensure safety and carry out inspections before allowing flights to resume. A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) was issued to announce the temporary runway closure from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. while officials worked to move the aircraft and inspect the runway conditions in accordance with aviation safety standards.
The disruption affected both arriving and departing flights. For arriving flights, Thai AirAsia Flight FD3354 from Don Mueang to Udon Thani was delayed by 66 minutes, while Thai VietJet Flight VZ200 from Suvarnabhumi to Udon Thani changed its arrival schedule from 9:45 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. Thai Lion Air Flight SL602 from Don Mueang to Udon Thani was delayed by 20 minutes.
Departing flights were also affected, with Thai AirAsia Flight FD3355 from Udon Thani to Don Mueang delayed by 64 minutes and departing at 10:44 a.m. Thai VietJet Flight VZ201 from Udon Thani to Suvarnabhumi was rescheduled from 10:15 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. The Department of Airports apologised to passengers affected by the delays, explaining that the temporary runway closure was necessary to maintain the highest safety standards for passengers, aircraft and flight operations. After the aircraft was removed and safety checks were completed, Udon Thani Airport confirmed that the runway had reopened and normal services had resumed.
