It's Official! New Airport Unsafe!

[Physherman]

From Associated Press via CNN

Bangkok airport officially unsafe

POSTED: 2031 GMT (0431 HKT), January 27, 2007

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Aviation authorities have refused to extend an international safety certificate for Bangkok's new international airport, a senior official said Saturday, dealing another blow to the problem-plagued facility.

With runway and tarmac repairs at Suvarnabhumi airport still under way, the Department of Civil Aviation decided Friday not to renew its interim safety certificate, which expired a day earlier. The airport can, however, continue to operate without the license.

Somchai Sawasdeepon, the airport's general manager, said the airport also has yet to set up a safety committee as required by the International Civil Aviation Organization because authorities are "busy resolving other problems."

The issue will be discussed at the next board meeting, Somchai said, adding that he was confident the certificate will be renewed after the safety committee has been established.

Local newspapers have reported that some foreign pilots raised concerns about safety issues at the Suvarnabhumi, but Somchai said such fears were not voiced at a meeting of airline representatives on Friday.

The International Civil Aviation Organization has made it a requirement for international airports to hold an Aerodrome Certificate -- aimed at standardizing global airport operations. Suvarnabhumi can nonetheless continue to operate without the certificate because it has yet to incorporate that requirement into law.

The airport was enmeshed in one corruption scandal after another during its construction, and since its opening last September problems have surfaced ranging from an inadequate number of toilets to cracks on taxiways leading to the runway. Probes are being carried out into a number of corrupt deals related to the facility.

On Thursday, several incoming flights were diverted to another airport about 200 kilometers (125 miles) away after debris was found on a runway.

The discovery of taxiway cracks, which began appearing about two weeks after the airport opened, was made public last week by lawmakers inspecting the airport.

Cracks at 25 separate locations made it impossible to use 11 out of 51 air bridges for boarding aircraft, causing inconvenience to passengers who had to take buses to and from their planes, Transport Minister Thira Hao-Charoen said Thursday after an inspection visit.

TIT

The Fly Fisherman

[meadish_sweetball]

Moved to the airport forum as it is not really Chiang Mai related.

[jumnien]

While it is perhaps useful for tourists to be aware of the condition of the runways at the new airport, it might be more useful to remind them to be cautious as to unsafe sex and riding rented motorbikes while in the Kingdom - far more likely to be the cause of a ruined holiday!

[ThaiPauly]

While it is perhaps useful for tourists to be aware of the condition of the runways at the new airport, it might be more useful to remind them to be cautious as to unsafe sex and riding rented motorbikes while in the Kingdom - far more likely to be the cause of a ruined holiday!

true...but it hardly boosts confidence does it?

People like to feel 100% safe when they are in a thin tube with wings on that flys very high and very fast

Most people are also very aware that most air traffic accidents happen on take off or landing

[Ajarn]

Old news...

[tigerbeer]

Old news...

its still news. thanks for posting. such an important gateway into thailand. sad!

wonder whose pockets the money went into.

[toptuan]

...airport also has yet to set up a safety committee as required by the International Civil Aviation Organization because authorities are "busy resolving other problems."

Judging by the tippy manhole covers and head-level high voltage wires found throughout the Kingdom, I'm not surprised that safety also takes a backseat in priority at the airport as well. Further case in point: At the university where I teach, I continually warn the administration of several life-threatening safety problems about campus. (Such as chained & padlocked fire escape doors). No response. Instead, I'm afraid I'm creating a reputation for myself as the "paranoid foreigner on staff."

Back to the airport, think about it: What types of problems would be higher priority than passenger safety for the committee to currently be so concerned about?

• How baggage is handled?
  

• Ticketing?
  

• Enough toilets?
  

• Which vendors get highest priority for facilities?
  

• Taxi scams?
  

Edited January 28, 2007 by toptuan

[tigerbeer]

Back to the airport, think about it: What types of problems would be higher priority than passenger safety for the committee to currently be so concerned about?

• How baggage is handled?
  

• Ticketing?
  

• Enough toilets?
  

• Which vendors get highest priority for facilities?
  

• Taxi scams?
  

I thought King Power already puts enough money into their pockets as the ONLY vendor!

[britmaveric]

Guess it lends credence to what the ICAO or IATA have said all along.

[aussiestyle1983]

So Sad for Thailand, but the Thai govnt only has itself to blame.

Wouldn't it be a laugh if the "worlds tallest control tower" fell down due to poor construction................

It goes to show that the airport was built for looks, not for safety.

[womble]

Any repairs will be Pak chee aroy na.........

Thats why roads always crumble a few months after being repaired.

Things are never fixed properly.

That goes for almost everything.

[Rinrada]

So NO International Safety Certificate.........which could be interpreted as meaning its DANGEROUS to LAND there because...Wot .

.....a Couple of CRACKS in the RUNWAYS,Toilets u/s,Landing Lights maybe a bit erratic and intermittent and if the Skys above Bangers gets a wee bit too crowded.... then MPR ..they will land you in Pattaya International....(might suit a lot of punters)

Real point here of course is ....BA ....Ladees and Gents we are hopefully about to Land....etc...which you know is a nice new Airport but with NO Inter.Safety Certificate.

In the old days when you arrived on "Wahabi Airways" in the Middle East the pilot would always say "we will be landing etc...in Damascas,Riyadh,Amman,Cairo,Algiers.. etc........."In Shallah"...if GOD Wills....

Wot will BA say in Bangers ...suggestions please on a post card...

[Rinrada]

The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) decided on Friday not to renew the interim Aerodrome Certificate for the Suvarnabhumi Airport in the latest setback for Thailand's brand new international gateway.

The certificate, which shows an airport meets international safety requirements, expired on Thursday.

DCA officials said they had received calls from international pilots expressing concern over the department's decision to leave Suvarnabhumi in a certification "no man's land".

One senior Thai captain told The Nation newspaper the lack of certification would affect confidence in the international pilot community about the safety of Thailand's new airport.

"If I were a foreign pilot, how could I trust that I would be given the right instructions when I had to fly in and out of an airport without international recognition?" he said.

"And I would be particularly concerned if I had to deal with disruptive weather or other emergencies. I don't know who has to bear responsibility in the event a wrong decision is made."

Department director-general Chaisak Angsuwan also revealed the airport's eastern runway would have to be closed for four to five hours on Saturday, citing cracks on runways and taxiways over a wide area of the airfield.

Chaisak said this would force partial closure of the airport for repair work for some weeks, but some local commentators estimate the repairs could take well over a year.

"We also found management problems," Chaisak said.

"For example, the aerodrome operation manual that provides instruction for airport maintenance and accidents still contains incorrect information, which could cause confusion for operators, especially in case of emergencies."...DONT SAY?

However, Chaisak said the lack of an Aerodrome Certificate would not lead to the airport's closure because Suvarnabhumi is operated under a local licence, just like other airports in Thailand.

The Aerodrome Certificate is a recent attempt by the UN International Civil Aviation Organisation to standardise airport operations around the world, but Thailand has not yet issued a law to respond to this new requirement....WOT NO LAW?

No airport in Thailand has been certified, although eight in neighbouring Malaysia have obtained the certificates, as well as two in Singapore, two in the Philippines and one in Hong Kong.

Eight in South Korea, one in North Korea and 93 in Japan have also been certified....

[STEELINOX]

The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) decided on Friday not to renew the interim Aerodrome Certificate for the Suvarnabhumi Airport in the latest setback for Thailand's brand new international gateway.

The certificate, which shows an airport meets international safety requirements, expired on Thursday.

DCA officials said they had received calls from international pilots expressing concern over the department's decision to leave Suvarnabhumi in a certification "no man's land".

One senior Thai captain told The Nation newspaper the lack of certification would affect confidence in the international pilot community about the safety of Thailand's new airport.

"If I were a foreign pilot, how could I trust that I would be given the right instructions when I had to fly in and out of an airport without international recognition?" he said.

"And I would be particularly concerned if I had to deal with disruptive weather or other emergencies. I don't know who has to bear responsibility in the event a wrong decision is made."

Department director-general Chaisak Angsuwan also revealed the airport's eastern runway would have to be closed for four to five hours on Saturday, citing cracks on runways and taxiways over a wide area of the airfield.

Chaisak said this would force partial closure of the airport for repair work for some weeks, but some local commentators estimate the repairs could take well over a year.

"We also found management problems," Chaisak said.

"For example, the aerodrome operation manual that provides instruction for airport maintenance and accidents still contains incorrect information, which could cause confusion for operators, especially in case of emergencies."...DONT SAY?

However, Chaisak said the lack of an Aerodrome Certificate would not lead to the airport's closure because Suvarnabhumi is operated under a local licence, just like other airports in Thailand.

The Aerodrome Certificate is a recent attempt by the UN International Civil Aviation Organisation to standardise airport operations around the world, but Thailand has not yet issued a law to respond to this new requirement....WOT NO LAW?

No airport in Thailand has been certified, although eight in neighbouring Malaysia have obtained the certificates, as well as two in Singapore, two in the Philippines and one in Hong Kong.

Eight in South Korea, one in North Korea and 93 in Japan have also been certified....

So if my A380 fresh from the factory touches down on Swampipoons "Left" runway and my mains hit one of these fabled cracks, oh wait they're no longer fabled- they ARE a REALITY now that the officials have announced them as such; and tear off causing me to ground loop into a fully loaded V1 moving, JP topped off, BA 747 bound for Queensland splits her in two sending half of her thru terminal C ending in a firey explosion of the terminal and surrounding ground support vehicles killing hundreds in a matter of seconds - who the frak is liable? Is it AOT or is it the DCA or is it IATA or ?

Thanks,

Randy

Edited January 29, 2007 by STEELINOX

[raslin]

If your plane goes up in a cloud of smoke after landing there the airline is responsible. It should not be using swampiland Airport.