President sends planes to help UAE citizens in Bangkok

AIRPORT PROTEST: Two planes will be sent to Bangkok to pick up stranded UAE citizens. (Getty Images)

UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has ordered sending two planes to Bangkok on Friday to fly home UAE citizens who have been caught up in the anti-goverment protests.

Thousands of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) supporters have descended on Suvarnabhumi airport, forcing the cancellation of all flights from Wednesday and leaving thousands of foreign tourists stranded.

The airport protest is part of a six-month-long campaign by the PAD to remove an elected government they believe is a puppet of ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra.

"The President has ordered sending two planes that will land tomorrow (Friday) in an alternative airport in Bangkok to fly home 260 of the UAE citizens. The priority will be given to old people and families," an official source at the UAE Foreign Ministry said in comments published by news agency WAM.

"The Ministry continues to follow up the situation. All UAE citizens in Bangkok are fine. All forms of assistance, as well as suitable accommodation, were provided to the citizens," the source added.

Etihad Airways will also lay on a special relief flight from U-Taphao airport in Thailand to Abu Dhabi to help passengers who have been stranded.

The airline has secured rights to operate from U-Taphao, an airport 150 kilometres east of Bangkok, and will fly in special ground handling personnel and airport staff to assist with the operation.

The flight will be operated by a Boeing 777 aircraft, which can accommodate a total of 378 passengers.

Etihad flight EY408 will depart Abu Dhabi airport on Fridayat 2pm UAE time time.

The return flight EY401 will depart U-Taphao airport at 2am UAE time on Saturday, returning to Abu Dhabi at 9am local time.

The airline suspended its double daily service to Suvarnabhumi airport following its closure on Wednesday evening.

Services will be resumed when the airport reopens.

Emirates has also cancelled all flights to Bangkok on Friday and Saturday.

Print | Email | Discuss this article |

READERS' COMMENTS

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Security Code *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM