ALOR SETAR: Travel plans for passengers scheduled to depart from the Sultan Abdul Halim Airport (AOR) here today were thrown into disarray when their flights were cancelled due to floods.
One of the passengers, Jasni Effendi Md Hasan, 53, from Kangar, Perlis, was shocked to learn that his 8.25 pm flight to Subang, Selangor had been cancelled as the runway was flooded.
“I was supposed to take a Malaysia Airlines flight at 8.25 pm to Subang for a family vacation in Puchong, Selangor. Now I don’t know what to do.
“We already booked the hotel and planned this trip to take the kids on a plane for a long time, but now we’ll have to return to Kangar,” he said when met by Bernama at the terminal today, adding that he and his wife were blissfully unaware of the flooded runway until a friend informed them about severe flooding in the areas surrounding the airport.
“While driving from Kangar to the airport, I asked friends about which roads were passable. Many areas and roads are indeed flooded,” civil servant Jasni Effendi said, as he shared that the airline had informed him that he could either reschedule his flight or request a refund due to the incident.
Another passenger, Achilleus Arthur, 19, was similarly surprised to find out that his 7 pm flight to Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) had been cancelled upon arriving at the airport at 5 pm.
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“I’m really confused right now. I’ve been sitting at the airport since 5 pm and now it’s 6.30 pm. I don’t know what to do because this was such a last-minute cancellation,” said Achilleus, who was supposed to take an AirAsia flight to KLIA2 before connecting to another flight to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
The Universiti Malaysia Perlis student had just completed his exams and planned to return to his hometown in Tuaran, Sabah, for the mid-semester break.
“I’m still undecided whether to reschedule or request a refund from the airline. I’ll wait to see the situation tomorrow. If the flood subsides, I’ll make a decision,” he said.
Meanwhile, an airport staff, who declined to be named, informed that four flights today and two flights tomorrow morning have been cancelled.
“The airport will issue an update tomorrow. By midday, we’ll assess the situation and may have further announcements,” they said.
Earlier, Malaysia Airports issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for the Sultan Abdul Halim Airport, temporarily closing the runway due to flooding but stated that the airport terminal remained open and advised passengers to check with their respective airlines for the latest flight updates for travel to and from AOR.
