The Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT) announced its intention to make Suvarnabhumi a serious contender in the ‘Airport of the World 2009’ contest.

These comments were conveyed by AOT at the recent Incentive, Travel & Convention, Meetings Asia (IT & CMA) show held in Bangkok, Thailand. AOT hopes to enter Suvarnabhumi Airport into the Airport Council International’s (ACI) 2009 global contest.

Deputy General Manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport and flying officer, Narongchai Tanadchangsaeng believes that Suvarnabhumi has the capacity to handle 45 million passengers a year and to increase this to 54 million in the future.

The airport is in the process of completing 700 evaluation surveys which is one part of joining the ACI’s Airport Service Quality program.

Six main strategies have been drawn up by a working committee to oversee the campaign for Suvarnabhumi to become a top ten airport.

The first one is to improve security in charge of handling baggage and any help given to staff.
The second aspect is the development of adequate facilities in the Passenger Terminal and services for travellers such as clear direction signs, toilet amenities, efficient trolley service and many more.

The exterior and interior environment will need to undergo improvement and all other relevant airport staff including security guards needs to be briefed on what is considered excellent service.

The airport will also have to seek cooperation from the various operators and businesses within the airport to improve on the current standard of service to satisfy passengers.

As well, there is a need for sufficient commercial areas like restaurants, money exchange booths and retail shops to meet passenger needs.

Narongchai Tanadchangsaeng expressed hope and said that the airport will do its best to submit to the best level of performance and life national pride.

“Suvarnabhumi is the front door in welcoming the country’s guests. If our guests are warmly welcomed, they will be more impressed with Thailand,” he said.

Thailand’s Transport Ministry has put their backing behind allowing Don Mueang Airport to operate international flights before the completion of a feasibility study due to increasing congestion at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Transport Minister, Theera Haocharoen said the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) study would only be completed after seven months at the earliest which would prove too late after Suvarnabhumi is already approaching its full capacity of 45 million passengers a year.

“This issue should be cleared before my term as transport minister comes to an end,” he said.

The operator of both airports, AOT is in the process of finalising guidelines to resume operations at Don Mueang and plans to meet with international airlines on November 26 to discuss the move. Several airlines have reportedly voiced their opposition to the move, saying dual airports would only be efficient with good transport links.

Next year an Airport Rail Link running from Makkasan to Suvarnabhumi should be completed, although already behind schedule due to construction delays.

Thai AirAsia’s Chief Executive Officer Tassapon Bijleveld has refused any move to Don Mueang Airport saying, “Thai AirAsia has already moved our head office to a location near Suvarnabhumi”.

Bangkok Airways also said they plan to operate at Suvarnabhumi only for its domestic and international flights.

Honorary president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, Wichit na Ranong said he disagreed with the plan without a high-speed train service linking the two airports in place and instead suggested Don Mueang be used as a special-purpose airport or for chartered flights only.

AOT vice chairman Narongsak Sangapong said Don Mueang should be used as a second international airport for the next few years until Suvarnabhumi could build a new terminal thereby increasing its capacity.

“We would need to consult with international airlines as the reopening will take time. Airlines will need to move back to Don Mueang and there will be new investments for ticket booths and passenger lounges,” Mr Narongsak said.

Chaisak Angkasuwan, director-general of the Civil Aviation Department said airlines that returned to Don Mueang would be on a voluntary basis and that the Department would not provide any incentives for relocations.

Flocks of birds are creating a safety threat at an airport in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, local reports say.

Large birds can be sucked into the engines of aircraft on take-off

Birds have been involved in 48 minor collisions with planes at Suvarnabhumi airport, according to the Bangkok Post.

Thousands of birds are said to be attracted by drainage canals around the runways and food on nearby farms.

Earlier this month pilots’ groups expressed concern that a major accident could happen if a large bird was caught in the engines of a plane on take-off.

Abundant food

Airports of Thailand (AoT), which runs Suvarnabhumi, monitored the runways after pilots voiced their fears.

The organisation found that the most serious threat came from open-billed storks, which gather in flocks of up to 700 and can grow to around 80cm (31.5in) in length.

They also found that the large fish ponds and tall trees at a temple 6km (3.7 miles) away were providing additional food, shelter and breeding grounds for the birds.

Efforts to scare the birds away, including firecrackers and bird nets, have so far failed.

The AoT is now attempting to control rubbish and vegetation around the runways to reduce the amount of food available.

Suvarnabhumi, which means golden land in Thai, opened in September 2006 at a cost of $4bn (£1.95bn).

The construction project was plagued by problems, including cracks in the runway and claims of corruption by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a coup shortly before the official opening.

A government representative told the Bangkok Post that the newly-formed Thai aviation safety committee will meet in November to discuss possible solutions to the problem.

An Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC) sub-committee probing alleged irregularities in an electrical power cable-laying project related to Bangkok’s new Suvarnabhumi international airport has ordered former transport minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit to provide more information by next Wednesday, according to sub-committee chairwoman Jaruvan Maintaka.

Khunying Jaruvan said the deadline was set after Mr. Suriya failed to appear before the sub-committee on Thursday (Oct 25) to defend himself regarding charges of alleged corruption in connection with the project.

Instead, the former transport minister assigned his personal secretary to carry a letter to the sub-committee saying that he would be willing to testify, but asked to postpone his appearance for 10 days, said Jaruvan.

Rejecting the longer postponement, the sub-committee agreed to delay the hearing only until Wednesday (Oct 31), but if Mr. Suriya fails to report at that time the sub-committee would interpret his action as indicating non-compliance regarding the panel’s request for more information regarding the charges, she said.

Khunying Jaruvan said the sub-committee already has sufficient evidence in hand and that the probe could be concluded by the end of December and forwarded to the courts for prosecution.

Mr. Suriya, who was concurrently a deputy prime minister in the former government of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is also being investigated for alleged irregularities in three other projects, including the Suvarnabhumi airport CTX bomb detector procurement, as well as similar concerns regarding construction of the new airport’s rail link and the rubber sapling purchase scheme. (TNA)

(BangkokPost.com) – The airport express link will be unveiled on November 9, according to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT).

Acting SRT governor Bancha Kongnakorn said trains to be used in providing transportation services have arrived at Lam Chabang port in Chonburi province.

Train services will be divided into two categories. The first line spans a distance of 28 kilometres and will run between Makkasan railway station and Suvarnabhumi airport in fifteen minutes.

The second train service, the City line, stops at all stations between Makkasan train station and Suvarnabhumi airport. The total running time between these two points will take 30 minutes.

According to authorities, the airport link is now 70 percent complete and it could take at least 370 more days before the entire route is finally completed.

BANGKOK, Oct 18 (TNA) – Residents near Suvarnabhumi airport plan a new round of protests at Bangkok’s main airport as they claimed a specially-convened tripartite committee has failed to make any progress in solving problems relevant to compensation payments to homeowners affected by noise pollution.

Prasert Boonkaew, a leader of the local residents said that the tripartite committee, comprising representatives from the Transport Ministry, the Lawyers Council of Thailand and homeowners, has worked slowly. Homeowners claimed that the Transport Ministry has been buying time by setting up the committee, which has yet offered no clear-cut solutions to tackle the controversial problem.

The residents’ leaders then decided to reject the work of the tripartite committee and planned to stage a new protest on October 28 to put pressure on the government.

They will gather at Romruedee village before deciding whether to move to Suvarnabhumi airport or not. They believe more than 5,000 residents will congregate.

Meanwhile, Transport Permanent Secretary Chaisawat Kittipornpaiboon said in his capacity as chairman of the tripartite committee that the government is not simply buying time but negotiating property prices to satisfy both the Airports of Thailand (AoT) and the residents.

Without satisfactory results from the negotiation, there has been no progress.

Mr. Chaiwsawat said that the gathering of homeowners at the airport, if it occurs, won’t help resolve the problem. (TNA)-E004

The embattled management of Suvarnabhumi Airport have received some consolation from a reader poll by an independent online travel magazine that voted it the world’s fourth best airport.

The top three finishers in order in the Smart Travel Asia poll were Hong Kong International Airport, Singapore Changi and Kuala Lumpur International Airport in its Travel Poll 2007.

The poll ranked Suvarnabhumi ahead of South Korea’s Incheon International Airport, which last March was named the ”Best Airport Worldwide for 2006” by the Geneva-based Airports Council International (ACI). Incheon was fifth in the Smart Travel Asia poll.

Except for the inclusion of Suvarnabhumi, the Smart Travel Asia poll was consistent with the much more extensive survey released in August by UK-based Skytrax. That survey placed Hong Kong first on the list of top 10 Airports of the Year for 2007, followed by Incheon and Changi, which tied for second place.

Skytrax put Kuala Lumpur in fifth place, while Suvarnabhumi failed to crack the top 10.

The methodology of the Smart Travel Asia poll was not disclosed, though the online magazine said it was ”based on actual experience, word-of-mouth through friends and colleagues, as well as an idea of the brand drawn from advertising and editorial exposure in the media, a great deal of this online”.

The magazine noted that Suvarnabhumi, which has had its share of teething troubles, was a ”a vast improvement” over Don Muang airport, which was closed for six months after 92 years in operation and reopened in March this year for some non-connecting domestic flights.

Serirat Prasutanond, the general manager of Suvarnabhumi airport, said the Smart Travel Asia poll was a welcome encouragement to the airport operator. But he conceded that it could be based on much less comprehensive polling criteria and sample size.

Perceived as the industry yardstick, the Skytrax 2007 survey was based on 7.8 million detailed passenger surveys covering 170 airports, conducted over 11 months.

The Skytrax survey also covers more than 40 categories of product and service quality, including terminal cleanliness, staff efficiency and courtesy, terminal signage and walking distances.

In the ACI rankings, Suvarnabhumi is now ranked 40th.

Mr Serirat said that AoT wanted to see Suvarnabhumi ranked in the top 10 in the ACI table by 2009.

Suvarnabhumi Airport during the first year operation accommodated a total number of 41.8 million passengers and 1.23 million tonnes of cargo, according to its Director Serirat Prasutanond.

During October 2006 to September 2007, the airport offered services to 267,480 flights.

The number was huge though Don Mueang Airport was reopened on March 25 to accommodate 40 per cent of flights.

The total number of domestic passengers using both airports in Bangkok in the period expanded 11.16 per cent per annum, or 1.2 million to 12.4 million. Total domestic flights were numbered 114,358, up 17.23 per cent or 16,180 flights.

- The Nation

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