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Suvarnabhumi Archive for March, 2008


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Thai Airways, Nok Air and Orient Thai set to shift domestic flights back to Suvarnabhumi Airport

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

Three airlines currently operating domestic flights out of Don Mueang airport are ready to shift back to Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

National flag carrier Thai Airways, low-cost carriers Nok Air and Orient Thai have been operating domestic flights from Don Mueang, claiming inadequate facilities at Suvarnabhumi. Now that the expansion of Suvarnabhumi airport is near complete, airline executives said they are ready to pack up their operations at Don Mueang.

THAI Airways president Apinan Sumanaseni said THAI supported the single airport policy since it benefited passengers the most. The shift of domestic operations back to Suvarnabhumi can be completed without fuss, he said.

Nok Air chief operating officer Patee Sarasin said the low-cost carrier is willing to return to Suvarnabhumi provided the authorities can address the congestion problem and commit to expanding the airport’s capacity to accommodate more flights.

Mr Udom Tantiprasongchai, chief executive officer of Orient Thai, another budget carrier, said Orient Thai and One-Two-Go have no particular preference, but he wants clarity on the government’s policy to avoid any confusion.

Moreover, the efficiency and adequate facilities at Suvarnabhumi provide strong incentives for carriers to operate from there, said Mr Udom.



JBIC interested in giving 5.6 Billion Baht loan for Suvarnabhumi Airport extension

Wednesday, March 12th, 2008

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) affirmed on Friday it was ready to grant a Bt700 billion loan to finance Thailand’s mega projects.

Speaking after talking to a senior JBIC official, Transport Minister Santi Prompat said the Japanese agency would grant a loan for nine electric train extention routes.

Other countries have also shown interested in extending loans for the Thai government’s mega projects, he said, adding that the Ministry of Finance would accept loans from the source giving the best offer.

JBIC is also interested in giving Bt5.6 billion in loans to the Thai government for the second-phase of construction at Suvarnabhumi international airport.

The Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT) plans an extension to beginning later this year to serve a rising number of passengers using the Suvarnabhumi terminal.

The final decision rests with the new AOT board to be announced March 14.

Mr. Santi said beside seeking loans from JBIC, AOT might issue new shares to finance the airport extension project.



Deputy Transport Minister set to wipe out taxi queue mafia

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008

Deputy Transport Minister of the new government, Songsak Thongsri, has pledged he will get rid of all influential gangs controlling taxi queues at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports. He said he wants the Airports of Thailand (AOT) to regulate taxi queues with fair practices and collect the profiles of taxi drivers at the queues.

He also plans to allow any taxi drivers who drop off departing passengers to queue up and wait for arriving passengers at Suvarnabhumi airport. This policy should eliminate influential groups controlling taxi queues there, he said.

Currently, taxis taking departing passengers to Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang are barred by some influential groups from queueing and picking up arriving passengers. Only official airport limousines and unauthorised taxi limousines under the control of the influential gangs are allowed to pick up passengers at the airports.

Mr Songsak disagrees with Airports of Thailand‘s plan to set up a new taxi queue at the public transport centre within Suvarnabhumi airport which is a few kilometres away from the passenger terminals, and impose a 10-baht charge on each taxi driver.

He said that after the new Airports of Thailand board took office, he and the board members would visit Suvarnabhumi airport. He intended to wipe out mafia-type gangs and their unauthorised taxi services there.

Mr Songsak also said he planned to revoke the long-standing taxi surcharge of 50 baht that drivers impose on their passengers at both airports.

He said the taxi surcharge should not exist because air passengers paid airport tax and the Airports of Thailand should be able to absorb the surcharge.

However, Chairat Sa-nguansue, deputy chief of the Land Transport Department, said the 50-baht surcharge had been in place since Don Mueang was Bangkok’s major airport and its termination could cause problems.

Taxi drivers said they need the surcharge because they have to wait for passengers at the airports. The surcharge took effect with a regulation the former Transport Ministry had issued in the past. Its termination would have to be approved by the cabinet, Mr Chairat said.

In another development, Asia Security Management Co (ASM), a subsidiary of Loxley Group, expects the new Airports of Thailand board to scrap its predecessor’s decision to halve its 10-year-long security contract for Suvarnabhumi airport.

ASM chairman Sompop Charoenkul yesterday said his company had not delivered on standard security services as contracted because of the airport’s rushed opening but that it had already improved its services up to the contract requirements.

The previous Airports of Thailand board chaired by Gen Saprang Kalayanamitr (one of the Sept 19, 2006 military coup leaders) was negotiating details of halving the 5.4-billion-baht contract but then had to resign after the new democracy government took office.

As the negotiations had not been concluded, Mr Sompop said he hoped the new Airports of Thailand board would not continue with halving the contract value. (BkkPost)



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