Passengers express relief after airlines resume flights from Sarawak

KUCHING: The situation appears to be back to normal at Kuching International Airport on Friday (April 19) as airlines began resuming flights following Thursday’s (April 18) cancellations due to Mount Ruang’s eruption in Indonesia.

There was relief among passengers whose flights were not cancelled although some faced delays.

Zairil Fikri, who was going to Kuala Lumpur for a holiday with his family of five, said he had been anxiously monitoring the situation for updates since Thursday.

“I was very worried yesterday upon hearing of the flight cancellations.

“I’m relieved that our flight today has not been cancelled,” he said.

However, Zairil said the flight was delayed twice, from 11am to 1pm and then to 3pm.

“Hopefully there will be no further delays,” he said.

Nur Adyliana Abdullah, who came back with her husband for Hari Raya, was relieved that their flight to Kuala Lumpur on Friday was departing as scheduled.

“I was scared yesterday that the flight would be cancelled.

“I kept checking for updates, thankfully our flight was not cancelled or delayed,” she said.

A group of passengers whose flights were cancelled on Thursday said they had been waiting on standby since early morning for seats on Friday’s flights.

One of them, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she came to the airport at 3.30am and did not know how long she would have to wait for an available seat.

“I think the airlines need a better way to manage the situation rather than letting us wait indefinitely,” she said.

Malaysia Airlines flights to and from Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan were gradually reinstated from Thursday evening amid prevailing weather conditions.

In an update at 10.10am on Friday, it said several flights scheduled to and from Sabah on Friday were cancelled with consideration for weather and operational safety.

AirAsia said a number of flights to and from Sabah and Sarawak remain impacted by the volcano eruption.

It said all affected passengers had been notified and were encouraged to check their email and mobile phones for cancellation notifications.