One of the security officers said afterwards that even though there was no sign of a fire, the health of passengers was at risk due to possible smoke inhalation or they could have even suffocated. Staff at the airport then investigated where the smoke was emanating from.
They found the source of the smoke was an electric oven in one of the airport eateries. After dowsing the overcooked food, security officers then permitted passengers to re-enter the building.
The airport at Hat Yai is just under 10kms from the town centre. It is the biggest air hub in the far south of Thailand. The airport currently handles 35 flights a day with average passenger throughput averaging 10,000 a day.
Airlines serving Hat Yai are Thai Smile, AirAsia and its subsidiary Thai AirAsia, Nok Air, Thai Lion Air and Tigerair. Most of the flights are from Bangkok's two airports, Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang, although Tigerair operates services from Singapore and AirAsia from Kuala Lumpur.
Smoke sparks exodus from Hat Yai Airport
News in Asia
Officials at Hat Yai Airport were forced into shepherding passengers out of the terminal late on Friday afternoon. Smoke started billowing through the terminal building at just after 16:00 and security personnel acted quickly in urging passengers to leave the building.