GEORGE TOWN: As rain lashed down on the tarmac of Penang International Airport on Saturday afternoon (Nov 5), Singaporean Felix Chen saw no sign of his SilkAir plane at the departure gate.
Flight MI351 was due to take off at 6pm, but as of 5.45pm it still had not landed at Penang.
Mr Chen, who was in Penang for work, then had a bad feeling that the heavy rain that afternoon would significantly delay his trip home.
“As I was on my way to the airport from Gurney Plaza, half the wheel of my Grab car was submerged in water. I could see huge puddles of water everywhere and the rain poured continuously. The wind was so strong,” said Mr Chen.
The heavy rain that started as he made his way to the airport would continue throughout the night and into the next day, causing massive floods throughout the city.
When airport staff announced at around 5.45pm that the SilkAir flight had been unable to land due to bad weather, passengers started to show discontent.
“Some were angry or worried. They raised questions with the ground staff on when the plane was going to arrive, and when they would be allowed to board,” Mr Chen said.
As things got heated, SilkAir ground staff then tried their best to calm down the passengers, assuring them that a solution would be found.
“They were so professional … we were given frequent updates on the situation. At 7.45pm, 9.15pm and 11pm etc, even though we did not approach them, they would come to us and update us what was going on,” Mr Chen said.
Passengers were also given the option of staying at a hotel or taking a rescue flight, although passengers who chose to stay at a hotel had to turn around to the airport due to the flood.
Other passengers opted to take connecting flights out of Penang to Kuala Lumpur.
A SilkAir ground staff running to help bring passengers their new boarding passes. (Photo: Felix Chen/ Facebook)
“The SilkAir staff were particularly helpful here as they even ran to and fro the boarding passs printing area and the departure gate to make arrangements for the passengers,” Mr Chen added.
The remaining passengers, including Mr Chen, eventually boarded a replacement flight, MI9352 at 3am on Sunday, after waiting at the airport for nine hours.
Mr Chen heaped praise on SilkAir ground staff in a Facebook post on Sunday.
“You guys handled it professionally and I’m sure it’s the best that you could have done during the time of uncertainty,” he wrote.
THREE FLIGHTS UNABLE TO LAND: PENANG AIRPORT
Penang International Airport confirmed that three flights which were scheduled to land at Penang International Airport between 4.30pm and 6pm on Saturday were either forced to turn back to KLIA or diverted to Langkawi International Airport.
“One flight from KLIA had to turn back while two others from KLIA and Singapore were diverted to Langkawi International Airport and have landed safely there,” said Penang International Airport senior manager Ramzi Ahmad.
Mr Chen said that staff had informed passengers that MI351 was diverted to Langkawi.
Mr Ramzi added that at least four flights from Penang Airport could not depart to their respective destinations due to the bad weather.
He said that operations at airport were still running smoothly and so far, the airport has not been hit by floods despite heavy rain.
