Don Muang airport ready for re-opening within 45 days

Transportation Ministry has said Don Muang Airport is expected to resume its service to passengers within 45 days.

Government spokesman Yongyuth Maiyalarp quoted Transportation Minister Theera Haocharoen as telling the Cabinet meeting Tuesday that within 45 days Don Muang Airport that was closed in September last year will be able to resume the services.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont announced earlier that Bangkok will now have two international airports; Suvannabhumi and Don Muang.

Considering the increasing number of passengers and demands, the Cabinet decided that Don Muang Airport, will be re-opened.

He was speaking after chairing the weekly cabinet meeting Tuesday. Theera's ministry was assigned to prepare Don Muang for the re-opening.

"Considering the problems we have now at Suvannabhumi Airport and the number of passengers are increasing, the Cabinet decided that Don Muang Airport will be re-opened and Bangkok will have two international airports."

The spokesman said it was an idea of the prime minister who said before the cabinet meeting that it was appropriate to use existing facility. This would alleviate problems occurred during repairs and improvement of Suvarnabhumi Airport.

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Legislative investigators: Don Muang fit for service

BANGKOK, Feb 9 (TNA) – Thai legislators investigating problems at Suvarnabhumi Airport are confident that Bangkok’s recently-decommissioned former international airport at Don Muang will be ready to resume service for both international and domestic flights within 45 days as planned.

Meanwhile, carriers are urging transport authorities to make clear which airlines are to move back to Don Muang and which ones are to remain at the new airport to avoid further confusion and disruption of passenger travel plans.

Admiral Bannawit Kengrien, chairman of the National Legislative Assembly committee inspecting problems at Suvarnabhumi Airport, told reporters during the inspection of Don Muang Airport Thursday that he would prefer the Airports of Thailand Co to completely shut down the facility at Suvarnabhumi for a major overhaul.

He was concerned that closing off damaged sections of the runways and taxiways for repairs, as is the case, might be deemed unsafe by the travelling public and the airline industry.

There are over 100 cracks in the runways and taxiways at the new airport which opened only four months ago.

The legislator warned it could take up to a year to undertake major repairs at Suvarnabhumi.

A panel of technical experts, which was hastily assembled to determine the scale of the cracks at the new airport, is due to report back on Friday.

The Thai Cabinet decided earlier this week to reopen Don Muang not only for domestic flights but also for international flights in a bid to ease congestion while mounting problems at Suvarnabhumi are addressed.

Thai AirAsia CEO Tassapon Bijleveld said he had no objection to the government plan to operate two international airports in Bangkok simultaneously but the authorities should provide clarity as to which airlines would be based at Don Muang and which airlines would stay at Suvarnabhumi.

It would be highly impractical and costly for each airline to maintain a presence at both airports, he added.

Airline representatives are invited to a meeting at the Transport Ministry next week for consultation.

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AIRPORT FIASCO

Govt urged to close Suvarnabhumi

NLA investigation chief cites safety fears in calling for a total and immediate shift back to Don Muang

The fate of the Bt150-billion Suvarnabhumi Airport hangs in the balance as an investigation panel is due to reveal the cause of damage to the taxiways and runways at the landmark transport hub.

The government appears to be divided about whether the airport should be closed for repairs, amid fears that such a move could shake international confidence in the Kingdom's infrastructure.

Admiral Bannawit Keng-rien, chairman of the National Legislative Assem-bly's airport committee, yesterday stood by his suggestion that the airport should be closed if both runways were damaged.

"The closure would be for the sake of safety," Bannawit said.

His committee was established to tackle the problems surrounding the flagship airport, which only opened in late September.

Bannawit maintained his suggestion despite Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont's insistence that the airport should remain open so as not to damage international confidence.

It could stay open while repairs are completed, the premier said on Saturday.

A panel headed by Tortrakul Yomnark will today reveal the problems faced by the airport, how the repairs should be conducted and whether closure is necessary.

A civil engineer by trade, Tortrakul is a board member of the Airports of Thailand and his panel has conducted a technical assessment of the runways.

Tortrakul's panel will report its investigation results to Transport Minister Admiral Theera Haocharoen before making the findings public.

A source said the Tortrakul panel had found serious cracks on the taxiways, with further damage on the northern part of the east runway and the southern end of the western landing strip.

The insider said the runway repairs could be made without disrupting flight schedules.

"Services can alternate between the two runways," the source said.

Krai Tungsnga, a member of the Bannawit panel, said the airport's problems were not serious enough to force it to close. However, Bannawit said yesterday that if Suvarnabhumi were closed, Don Muang would be able to accommodate flight and airfreight services.

"I propose closure because it will prevent problems from dragging on," he said.

Meanwhile, Thai Airways International's union has condemned plans to allow Bangkok to have two international airports. And Demo-crat Party's spokesman Ong-art Klampaiboon urged the government to set up another committee to investigate Suvarnabhumi's problems.

"A committee of experts should look at all problems, not just the taxiways and runaways. What about the water leakage, inadequate lighting and overheating in the terminal?" Ong-art asked. He said the government should act against those responsible for the airport's problems.

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You know, it's really something to be careful about: passing on news about what's going to happen about Bangkok and it's airport. The news change faster than reporters can write them down. And the next day it's just the exacxt oppoosite of the day before, because somebody found another argument that just cannot be ignored.

Yesterday there was even talk of closing Suvarnabhumi completely until it gets fixed. But today another expert comes up and says that closing it is not necessary at all because the damages were so extremely minor. What and who to listen to, and even more, what and who to believe? With the newspapers' frontpages having everyday a few contradicting stories the topic can only be named by now "The Suvarnabhumi Headache"!
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