Operations suspended at Thai carrier One-Two-Go Airlines

Thailand-based low-fare carrier One-Two-Go Airlines, a subsidiary of the Orient Thai Airline Co., is grounding its planes from July 22, 2008 to September 15, 2008. According to an article on Bloomberg News, the suspension is the result of fuel costs, which have more than doubled in the past year. But other media sources suggest there may be more to this move than financial restructuring: suspension of the airline's Air Operator Certificate, for instance.

The Bangkok Post reports that Thailand's Civil Aviation Department (CAD) has ordered One-Two-Go "to halt operations for 30 days due to substandard operations and revoked or suspended the flying licences of nine of its pilots." Quoting Chaisak Angsuwan, director-general of the Thai CAD, the Bangkok Post says:

The department had found shortcomings in the airline's aviation operations, flight schedules and maintenance, along with a lack of quality assurance.

The low-cost airline had violated aviation safety regulations and lacked proper airline management.

The flying licences of seven of the airline's foreign pilots were revoked, six Indonesians and a Venezuelan, and the licences of two Thai pilots suspended.

The department found the pilots on the airline's MD80 series aircraft had submitted documents misstating their level of expertise.

The Bangkok Post article mentioned that Udom Tantiprasongchai, the president of One-Two-Go Airlines, said the nine pilots "were sacked on July 8." However, Mr. Chaisak also said that the CAD expects to file charges criminal against the airline and its pilots in two weeks.

The CAD's decision to suspend One-Two-Go's Air Operator Certificate apparently arose from their investigation of the crash of One-Two-Go Flight OG269 at Phuket in September of last year, which killed 89 people and injured dozens more. The families of a number of that accident's victims are suing the airline, claiming that the crash was due to safety deficiencies.

In any case, One-Two-Go Airlines is grounded -- at least for now. A message on the One-Two-Go website says simply:

Dear Valued Passengers

We would like to inform you that during 22 July 2008 – 15 September 2008 we are operating a reduced schedule.

We apologize for any inconvenience to your travel plan and thank you for your kind understanding.

One-Two-Go Airlines.

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One-Two-Go accident in Phuket, Thailand

Yesterday an MD-82 aircraft operated by Thai carrier One-Two-Go crashed on landing at Phuket, Thailand. The accident happened at about 4 PM local time when the aircraft ran off the departure end of the runway during heavy rain and strong winds. The aircraft reportedly split in two on impact and caught fire. One-Two-Go Flight OG269 was arriving from Bangkok with 123 passengers and five crew on board. As of this writing, 90 have died and many are hospitalized with injuries.

The flight's Indonesian captain and Thai first officer are reported to have been among those who perished in the crash. The Bangkok Post identified the captain as Areef Mulyadi, 56, who was said to have been a pilot with two Indonesian airlines – Sempati and Star Airlines - before going to work for One-Two-Go two years ago.

A list of the names and nationalities of the survivors of Flight OG269 has been posted on the One-Two-Go website, along with a list of telephone numbers that can be used to inquire about passengers who may have been on the aircraft. The airline also has posted a full list of the names on the passenger manifest of Flight OG269.

News reports said today that the aircraft's flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder had been recovered from the wreckage. The Associated Press quoted Thai Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen who said that the devices would be sent to the United States for analysis.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has announced that a team composed of NTSB and FAA investigators, as well as representatives of Boeing, and Pratt & Whitney, will assist Thai authorities with the accident investigation.

One-Two-Go Airlines began operations in December 2003 and is the domestic subsidiary of Orient-Thai Airlines, a regional charter carrier based in Thailand. The Associated Press reported that the plane that crashed in Phuket was manufactured and put into use in 1983, and began flying in Thailand in March this year.

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