SUVARNABHUMI airport by bkkpost

[bahnoo]

SUVARNABHUMI

Few glitches as flights land, take off from new airport
AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK

Many passengers taking international flights into Suvarnabhumi airport for the first time yesterday were satisfied with the service despite spotting certain glitches. Thai Airways International (THAI) deployed its 389-seater Boeing 747 to operate a return flight to Hong Kong and a 247-seater Airbus 300-600 to serve a return flight to Singapore yesterday.


The flights departed almost simultaneously at 9.10am. They took off using the western and eastern runways, proving Suvarnabhumi's ability to handle activity on both runways at the same time.


The flight to Hong Kong carried 361 passengers and 240 pieces of luggage while the Singapore flight had 206 passengers and 165 bags. Most passengers were Transport Ministry staff and their relatives on a THAI-arranged package tour.


The return flights from Hong Kong and Singapore also landed at Suvarnabhumi around the same time, at 3.55pm.


Caretaker Transport Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal said the airport systems worked smoothly.


Departing passengers took 20 minutes each to get through passport checks while it took only four minutes for each arriving passenger to pass immigration.


Commenting on service in the passenger terminal, THAI president Apinan Sumanaseni said indoor signs were not clear enough. They could delay flights when Suvarnabhumi opens to full commercial service on Sept 28. People may not be able to find their way around.


Unyalak Jintanavisit, a passenger on one flight, said the terminal would need more signs as many passengers were confused about directions.


Duangjai Kitisin, a state enterprise employee, said the airport was a cause of national pride although the shuttle service was still a problem. Passengers had to take shuttle buses from the arrival hall to a separate terminal to catch a bus and taxi.


Paramee Muangcharoen, who piloted the Singapore flight, said Suvarnabhumi was better than Singapore's Changi airport. The runways were smoother and longer.


Ahead of its full-scale opening on Sept 28, Suvarnabhumi will undergo the first full-scale test of its conveyor belt system on Sept 7. All 460 check-in counters will be tested with 10,000 pieces of luggage being put through check-in.


Piti Ramasoot, THAI director for service delivery, said the bags of departing passengers were handled smoothly yesterday.

[snake]

Tuesday January 30, 6:03 PM
Congestion prompted plan to reopen Bangkok airport
By Ed Cropley
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BANGKOK, Jan 30 (Reuters) - It was the congestion at Bangkok's $4 billion new airport -- and not the safety fears raised by cracks in its runways -- that prompted a plan to reopen Don Muang airport, industry experts said on Tuesday.

Both runways at Suvarnabhumi, which has only been open four months, have undergone partial, temporary closure in the last week for repair work, delaying incoming flights and forcing at least two to divert to a nearby military airstrip.

Airline representatives said inspections had confirmed the runway cracks were "superficial" and there was no risk to passengers or flights at Suvarnabhumi, which is designed to handle 45 million passengers each year.

However, taxi-way repairs were causing back-logs, notably at the peak 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. slot, when the airport handles 67 flights an hour against a capacity of 71, said Brian Sinclair-Thompson of the Board of Airline Representatives Association.

"The problem is not a safety issue. It's more an inconvenience to airlines and passengers," he said.

To ease the pressure, Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen, part of a cabinet installed after a Sept. 19 coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has suggested the decommissioned Don Muang airport be reopened for domestic flights.

Many budget carriers are applauding the decision as a victory for common sense and say the fears of flight mix-ups that caused airport planners initially to force every carrier into Suvarnabhumi were overblown.

"It's not unusual for major cities to have more than one airport," said Udom Tantiprasongchai, chief executive of Orient Thai Airlines, which also operates a domestic airline called One-Two-Go.

Udom said 70 percent of One-Two-Go's domestic flights would use Don Muang and 30 percent Suvarnabhumi. Orient Thai's mainly regional service would use Suvarnabhumi, he said.

It remains to be seen whether moving a few budget airlines from Suvarnabhumi will ease the pressure at its busiest times.

"Suvarnabhumi is already at peak capacity. I don't know how this is going to bring the relief because the relief is needed at the peak hours," Sinclair-Thompson said.

A pet project of Thaksin, Suvarnabhumi has been plagued by scandals, including allegations of graft in the purchase of bomb-scanning kit and awarding of taxi and parking concessions which tarnished its reputation even before it opened.

Thailand hopes it will eventually be able to rival Hong Kong and Singapore as major regional air hubs. If all its planned expansion phases go ahead, it will become the largest airport in Asia, with an annual capacity of 100 million passengers. (additional reporting by Nopporn Wong-Anan)