HUNDREDS of travellers at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) were left in a lurch after flights were cancelled today following the eruption of Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
A passenger bound for Kuala Lumpur said he had been at the airport since 5.45am and was afraid to leave for fear of missing his flight.
“I was supposed to board around 7am, but my flight to Kuala Lumpur was cancelled. I am not sure when the flights will resume. If I leave now, I might miss my flight,” said Ramlie Azhar, a serviceman who was in Sabah for Hari Raya.
Senior airport manager Jefry Ramli said so far, 13 flights have been cancelled while 11 flights have been rescheduled.
“We strongly advise passengers to contact their airline directly for the most up-to-date information on their specific flights, including any cancellations or rescheduling. They can obtain airline contacts usually via their website or their mobile app,” he said.
Outbound and inbound flights from Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, and Tawau have been cancelled, while some airlines have rescheduled their flights to these same destinations. Most of the cancellations were of AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines flights, while Batik Air, Firefly, and Scoot have rescheduled their flights.
Another unhappy traveller, Michael Kong said he might be forced to stay at a hotel as it was a two-hour drive back to Ranau . “At this point, I am not sure when I will be able to fly. If I go home, I could miss my flight or not make it on time,” he said.
Sabah airports have been busy with travellers returning to work after going home for the Hari Raya holiday.
In a statement on Facebook, Malaysia Airlines said it was monitoring the situation and would provide updates as new information became available.
“Concurrently, the airline is working to accommodate passengers affected by the cancellation of flights on alternative flights once the situation progressively improves,” it said.
It also urged passengers to update their contact details on the MyBooking feature on its website to receive the latest updates through email and SMS.
In a statement, AirAsia told its guests travelling to or from the affected destinations to check their registered emails and mobile phones for cancellation notifications.
“AirAsia guests travelling to/from the affected destinations are strongly encouraged to check their latest flight status at airasia.com/flightstatus.
“AirAsia is continuing to monitor Mount Ruang volcanic activity and will provide more information on the latest developments,” it said. – April 18, 2024.
