Phuket airport reopens

2008-09-01 09:28

Singapore - Airlines were resuming their service between Singapore and the popular Thai holiday island of Phuket after the facility reopened following its closure by anti-government demonstrators, a newspaper report said.

Tiger Air and Air Asia planned to resume their service on Monday, The Straits Times reported.

SilkAir became the first to reopen the route, resuming its flights on Sunday night and upping its regularly scheduled single evening flight between Singapore and Phuket to three to ferry its backlog of passengers between the two destinations. It said it would operate its normal schedule of five flights on Monday.

Phuket's international airport reopened on Sunday after demonstrators who were calling for Thailand's government to step down raided and closed it on Friday. Two other southern Thai international airports, in Krabi and Hat Yai, reopened on Saturday.

One Singaporean passenger told the Times she had to pay 2 000 Singapore dollars in additional hotel and other expenses because of the delay in her departure.

During the Phuket airport's closure, many passengers had to find alternate transport, such as buses, at their own expense to Bangkok to leave the country. - dpa

- DPA