A tragedy that shook Thailand
On September 16, 2007, One-Two-Go flight OG269 crashed while attempting to land in heavy rain and strong crosswinds at Phuket International Airport. Eighty-eight people died instantly, two more succumbed later, leaving only 40 survivors from the inferno.
Dance instead of mourning
Yet on September 14 and 15, just as the anniversary approached, the Airports of Thailand (AoT) hosted Manora and Kridaphinihan dancers inside the domestic terminal. Officials claimed the cultural shows were meant to promote heritage and create “an unforgettable passenger experience.”
No memorial in 18 years
Not once since the crash has Phuket Airport organised an official memorial. No plaques, no chapels, no ceremonies. This year was no different, even as weather conditions eerily mirrored the storm of 2007. “It is disrespectful to the dead,” a relative of a British victim told local media.
The day disaster struck
At 3:40 pm that fateful afternoon, the McDonnell Douglas MD-82, carrying 123 passengers and seven crew, was instructed to perform a go-around. Instead, it struck a runway embankment and burst into flames. Investigations later cited operational failures and safety lapses. One-Two-Go, owned by Orient Thai Airlines, was forced to shut down; the parent company itself folded in 2018. Victims included Thai, British, French, Australian and Canadian nationals.
Families left with open wounds
For relatives, the absence of remembrance remains a painful insult. “It feels as though they want to erase the tragedy,” said the daughter of a Thai victim. Across the world, airports and transport hubs honour such disasters with plaques or memorials. In Phuket, commerce and tourism seem to have taken precedence.
AoT defends its decision
The airport authority insists it is committed to exceeding service expectations, framing the dance shows as part of that mission. Critics, however, accuse AoT of heartless image-building and cultural tokenism at the expense of dignity. With no official memorial in sight, the families are left to grieve alone—eighteen years on, their sorrow still unrecognised.