Brisbane-bound passengers endure 36-hour diversion

PASSENGERS travelling with Thai Airways from Bangkok to Brisbane have scored a night in Bali after engine troubles.

PASSENGERS on a Thai Airways’ flight from Bangkok to Brisbane have had an unscheduled stopover in Bali after an engine problem forced an emergency landing at Denpasar.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had been delayed three-hours in Bangkok and was a few hours into the flight when passengers noticed a change in the flight path information.

One of those on board, Paul Pluta, said he asked cabin crew what was going on and was eventually told an emergency landing was needed due to a faulty oil sensor.

Thai Airways' flight TG 473 from Bangkok to Brisbane was diverted to Denpasar after an engine problem. Picture: Filghtradar24.com

Fuel was dumped prior to landing at Ngurah rai Airport early yesterday morning.

Mr Pluta said the landing felt “very hard” before the aircraft came to a stop.

“They normally say “cabin crew arm the doors” before landing, but they didn’t say that this time,” he said.

“That means the safety shutes were ready to fire on a bad landing.”

However, an airline industry insider said Mr Pluta’s belief that crew were on standby for the emergency slides to be deployed as the 787 landed in Denpasar was misguided.

“Doors are armed (meaning that the emergency slides will inflate if the door is opened from the inside) from shortly after pushback, and remain so until shortly before arriving at the gate,” he said.

“This does not vary from airline to airline.”

He said the measure was taken to ensure that “should an unexpected event occur and an evacuation is required that the slides will deploy”.

“They are ‘disarmed’ when approaching the gate to ensure that the slides do not deploy accidentally upon the opening of the cabin doors,” said the insider.

Inspections determined the right engine had an oil pressure issue.

Paul Pluta was among those on a Thai Airways’ flight diverted to Bali after an engine issue. Picture: News Corp Australia

The 264 passengers on board were accommodated in hotels while repairs were conducted on the 787.

A Thai Airways spokeswoman said the plane was scheduled to continue its journey to Brisbane this afternoon, ahead of an 11.30pm landing — 36-hours after its original arrival time.

Mr Pluta was able to get on a Virgin Australia flight to get home more quickly.

Travellers at Ngurah rai Airport in Denpasar, Bali. Picture: Agung Parameswara/Getty Images

However, an airline industry insider said Mr Pluta’s belief that crew were on standby for the emergency slides to be deployed as the 787 landed in Denpasar was misguided.

“Doors are armed (meaning that the emergency slides will inflate if the door is opened from the inside) from shortly after pushback, and remain so until shortly before arriving at the gate,” he said.

“This does not vary from airline to airline.”

He said the measure was taken to ensure that “should an unexpected event occur and an evacuation is required that the slides will deploy”.

“They are ‘disarmed’ when approaching the gate to ensure that the slides do not deploy accidentally upon the opening of the cabin doors,” said the insider.

Thai Airways was placed “on notice” by Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority last year following international concerns that led to bans on charter flights by the airline to China, Japan and South Korea.

Additional ramp inspections were conducted to evaluate the condition of the aircraft and documentation filled out by crew.

Respected aviation safety site, AirlineRatings.com awarded Thai Airways four stars out of seven in its most recent review.

The last major incident involving Thai Airways was at Guangzhou in China, when an A330 experienced a runway excursion causing extensive damage to the plane and tarmac. No-one on board was seriously hurt.