INSIDE AIR TRAVEL
More airport problems in BangkokSuvarnabhumi, the brand new $3.8bn (£1.9bn) Bangkok international gateway, is in very serious trouble. New airports, and for that matter any major structure, always have teething problems. That is the nature of the work. But in Thailand the problems seem to have been magnified. The new airport has suffered numerous management and infrastructural difficulties, which many have blamed on poor and rushed planning, and corruption.
Transport minister Thira Haocharoen, after holding a meeting with all concerned parties, said a decision had been reached to re-commission the old Don Muang Airport to handle domestic flights.
Thira revealed that the new airport already had about 100 cracks in various taxiways and on one of its two runways. The taxiway cracks meant that 11 of the airport's 50 aerobridges have been out of service, forcing passengers to take buses to the terminal.
To make matters even worse Thailand's Civil Aviation Department last week refused to extend an "interim" Airport Certificate â¤" a document initiated by the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to prove that airports meet international safety standards â¤" that was granted to Suvarnabhumi Airport upon its opening last September.
Although airports can operate without the certificate, international airlines have reportedly warned the Thai government that Suvarnabhumi Airport has now entered a safety certificate "no-man's land."
The latest news is the the president of Airports of Thailand has resigned, citing health reasons. Also gone is Somchai Sawasdeepol, Suvarnabhumi Airport director, removed from the position in a purge believed to be prompted by corruption allegations and shoddy construction work.
Feb. 2
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