Vietnamese carrier Pacific Airlines had to dispatch an empty plane from Ho Chi Minh City to Cam Ranh Airport in south-central Khanh Hoa Province to transport passengers, who had waited for hours, late Sunday night as technicians were replacing the original aircraft’s spare parts.

Flight BL6201 operated by Pacific Airlines was scheduled to depart at 7:15 pm on Sunday, according to a representative of the airline.

However, the flight operator consecutively announced its delay until 9:00 pm and later an unspecified time, without informing passengers about the reason, one traveler named Huynh Minh Nhat told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

“It’s almost midnight and the airline merely announced another delay without specifying the reason and new departure time while we’re already so hungry and thirsty,” said Nhat.

“It was not until 10:00 pm that the carrier provided us with meal vouchers.”

The Pacific Airlines representative later told Tuoi Tre that the airplane originally employed for flight BL6201 needed to have its spare parts replaced, leading to the delay.

Passengers wait as their Pacific Airlines flight to Ho Chi Minh City is delayed at Cam Ranh Airport in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, April 17, 2022. Photo: Minh Nhat / Tuoi Tre

After assessing the situation, the airline sent another plane carrying spare parts and engineers from Ho Chi Minh City to Cam Ranh.

This aid plane departed Ho Chi Minh City-based Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 11:15 pm.

After arriving at Cam Ranh Airport, the plane prepared for the transportation of flight BL6201’s passengers to Ho Chi Minh City.

Its new scheduled takeoff time was 1:00 am Monday.

Meanwhile, the original aircraft stayed at Cam Ranh and had engineers replace its spare parts.

“Pacific Airlines sincerely apologizes to all affected passengers for this unexpected incident and hopes that passengers will sympathize with us,” the representative said.

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