SUVARNABHUMI AIRPORT

[AMARETTO-old]

SUVARNABHUMI AIRPORT
IATA urges Thailand to delay opening

AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has urged Thailand to postpone the opening of Suvarnabhumi airport from around early July to December, citing problems by member airlines in entering a passenger building to set up their service systems.

More than 270 airlines hold IATA membership in 140 countries. The latest call came after the international body's meeting on April 4 and 5.

As the planned opening of the new airport is only three months away, most airlines planning to shift their operations from Don Muang to Suvarnabhumi expressed concern at the gathering that only Thai Airways International and Bangkok Airways had so far entered the passenger building to set up new offices.

An IATA source said the other airlines could not enter the new airport because ITO Joint Venture, the constructor, has still not handed over the project to Airports of Thailand (AoT).

Under regular procedures AoT, the agency responsible for Thai airports, must inform all airlines six months in advance of the opening of the new airport.

Large carriers need three months to prepare operation space and test service systems.

But the uncertainty over when Suvarnabhumi will be officially opened is now a prime concern for the airlines.

''There remain only three months to the July scheduled opening. This may be inadequate for airlines' preparation work. It is thus in the best interests of everyone to postpone [the opening date] to December,'' the source said.

Several airlines were unhappy with the double-airport policy, where Don Muang would be retained to cater to low-cost airlines and chartered flights, according to the same source.

They said all carriers wanted a presence in Don Muang, given its much lower landing and other fees than Suvarnabhumi.

The future of Don Muang is expected to be tabled in talks on Thursday between caretaker Transport Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal, AoT, the Department of Aviation and the Airline Operators Committee.

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I have a question I will be moving (hopefully) to Pattaya in the near future and want to know how close is this airport is to Pattaya? I wounder how much this will be effected by fly over noise.

It's not at all close to Pattaya. It's on the outskirts of Bangkok!

oh thank you it was my understanding they where building a airport in or near pattaya

[manfarang-old]

Actually, the trip from Suvarnabhumi to Pattaya should be much quicker as it is 30 km to the east of Bangkok and located off of the Bangkok-Chonburi Expressway, so you will no longer have to pass through Bangkok to get to Pattaya. But it is still much much closer to Bangkok than Pattaya so airplane noise will not be a problem to Pattaya residents.

Based on some commuting by car between Bangkok and Pattaya using the raised motorway, which passes near Suvarnabhumi, I'm thinking it will be one and a half hours from the new airport to Pattaya by car, if the traffic is OK.

Suvarnabhumi is in Samut Prakan province, on the city edge, to the southeast, and a good run should see one at a downtown Bangkok hotel in 30 minutes, not so different to the curent trip from Don Muang into downtown.

I understand it's on another road other than the main BKK to Bangna 'expressway' and thus you might get there in 4 hours any working weekday afternoon. For Pattayans you certainly can now avoid central Bangkok but if you live in Bangkok then you probanly can't avoid that - and the new airport will be a big headache :-(

[Up2U]

"I understand it's on another road other than the main BKK to Bangna 'expressway' and thus you might get there in 4 hours any working weekday afternoon. For Pattayans you certainly can now avoid central Bangkok but if you live in Bangkok then you probanly can't avoid that - and the new airport will be a big headache :-(".......on the contrary the highway access will be superior than the existing airport. Highway 7 is now a super highway between the new airport and Bangkok and the Bang Na expressway is still available as an alternate. Highway 7 must be expanded from the airport to Pattaya or travel time will inevitably increase as Pattaya continues to grow and the number of vehicles increases. There is talk of a high-speed rail connection but that is years away.

[cottmann]

Suvarnabhumi is in Samut Prakan province, on the city edge, to the southeast, ...

I understand that the airport is to be - or has already been - created Thailand's 77th province as Maha Nakorn Suvarnabhumi - a second Singapore but more efficient, etc., if one can believe the Government's publicity.

Oh alright, looks about the same to me. That's good news if the taxi fare home in BKK is the same as it looks it should be (click thumbnail).


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Thanks cottmann, had not heard that.

Assume that means a small province consisting of the airport and surrounds, which is itself surrounded by Samut Prakan.

Regarding the traffic: I have been on the Ekamai - Pattaya bus in late afternoons and never found the motorway at Bangna anything other than free-flowing.
Can't say the same about getting from Ekamai to the motorway, and would think travelling the reverse direction is similar.
So I think the traffic problems are more likely to be getting into Bangkok proper, if going nearer to downtown, or around Chonburi where the raised motorway ends if going to Pattaya.
Here it can certainly be difficult and slow.