Suvarnabhumi Airport Is Operating as Usual

(05/11/2011)

Despite flooding in several districts of Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand’s national airport, is operating as usual. It has also been well-protected from flooding. Because some news agencies had shown pictures of passenger airplanes surrounded by high water, the Committee on Public Relations for the Flood Relief Operations Center explained that the airplanes had been decommissioned prior to the flooding and were, in fact, at Don Mueang, not at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Bangkok is served by two airports. One is Suvarnabhumi International Airport, with 120 international and domestic airlines. The other is Don Mueang Airport, which is located about 30 kilometers northwest of Suvarnabhumi Airport. Handling only domestic flights, Don Mueang has been closed temporarily because of flooding. Two domestic airlines, Orient Thai Airlines and Nok Air, have temporarily switched their operations from Don Mueang to Suvarnabhumi Airport. Thailand now has 28 airports for commercial flights. Nine of them handle international flights; they include Suvarnabhumi, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Hat Yai, Krabi, U-Tapao, Samui, Surat Thani, and Udon Thani. Apart from Don Mueang, all other airports are open and operating normally. The Senior Executive Vice President of Airports of Thailand and Acting General Manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport, Mr. Somchai Sawasdeepon, is confident that Suvarnabhumi Airport will not be affected by flooding, thanks to the airport’s efficient flood protection measures. Among these measures is the earthen embankment, 37 meters wide, 3.5 meters tall, and 23.5 kilometers long. Originally three meters high, it was raised to 3.5 meters in October 2011, with assistance from the Department of Highways and the Department of Rural Roads. Mr. Somchai said that in order to be fully prepared for the flooding situation, Suvarnabhumi Airport has set up a special team to monitor the situation around the clock. Another monitor team was also set up to patrol the floodwall to make sure that the barrier is strong enough to prevent flooding. He said that the airport still operates as usual, with about 130,000 passengers and 800 flights, both domestic and international, every day. The 30-plus additional flights of Orient Thai and Nok Air, who carry 2,000 passengers a day, are well-served at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Thai Airways International will increase its seat capacity in order to support the demand of travelers to destinations in Thailand. Passengers can travel in and out of Suvarnabhumi Airport and connect to other major cities, such as Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen, Phuket, Ubon Ratchathani, and Udon Thani. Many tourist destinations in Bangkok and the provinces have not been affected by the current flooding and tourists can travel there safely and freely.