Suvarnabhumi to close one of its runways for repairs starting next month

By THE NATION

 

 

Wing Commander Suthirawat Suwanawat, general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport, Airports of Thailand (AOT), said on Friday (October 25) that Suvarnabhumi Airport will close the eastern runway (runway 01R-16L) and rapid exit taxiway at night from 1.30 to 8.30 am to repair and improve the surface.

 

 

“The project will start on November 8 and is expected to be completed in 5 months, reopening on April 6 next year,” he said. “The total length of runway to be repaired is 1,100 meters, while the surface of taxiway nos. B3, B5, B7, B8, B10 and B11 will be replaced with asphalt to increase the strength to handle increased usage in the future.”

 

Suthirawat further explained that the construction was scheduled at night time to avoid causing problems for passengers. “The west runway will still open during those hours, and both runways will be functional from 8.30 am everyday.”

 

“During the periods of new year (December 25, 2019 – January 6, 2020) and Chinese new year (January 18-31, 2020), the repair on eastern runway will be temporarily suspended since the airport will be very busy,” he added. “AOT will also provide additional staff to facilitate passenger check-ins at every gate.”

 

Suvarnabhumi Airport’s runway repair and improvement project will be carried out in 3 phases. The first phase covered 900 metres of eastern runway and was completed in April. The second phase will start November 8 as mentioned above, while the last phase will begin around October 2021 and covering the remaining distance on both runways.

 

Related Story: Changes in domestic passenger screening at Suvarnabhumi

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30377757

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-10-26

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Close one of the tracks of the most important airport of Thailand at the time when the high season will begin;
it is an original idea that only the Thai know how to take but especially put into practice.

The TAT will explain us with a lot of numbers that it will not prevent the number of tourists to increase significantly.

On the other hand, I would like to be explained why the two tracks of Souvanaphum still have problems; they had some before the airport opened in September 2006

The current two runways average 63 flights an hour during busy times. If an emergency occurs or a runway is closed for maintenance, total runway capacity will be almost halved to 34 flights an hour.

The western runway is 3.7 kilometres long and the eastern one is 4km.

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1095647-third-runway-approved-for-suvarnabhumi-airport/

Surely repairs will impact arrival numbers.

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

“During the periods of new year (December 25, 2019 – January 6, 2020) and Chinese new year (January 18-31, 2020), the repair on eastern runway will be temporarily suspended since the airport will be very busy,”

If repair demobilization and remobilization time is considered, add one week more before and after suspension or a total of three weeks suspension. Why not just wait until after January 6th to start repairs without interruption?

A third runway was originally budgeted during Yingluck's regime but deferred by Prayut's regime until this year. It would seem that several high speed rail projects took budget priority.

Asphalt will NOT increase the strength of any runway, being essentially a plastic medium. It can however be used to correct surface elevations where subsidence has occurred. In hot countries you can actually feel yourself sinking while walking along many asphalt sidewalks. 

As soon as the runway quality problem was discovered years ago they should have built the third runway as the first part of airport expansion....this is really a no brainer

What is to say that the repairs will be of any better standard than the original construction? If road repairs are anything to go by, the surface will be peeling off in months, whilst many pigs feed at the trough.

4 minutes ago, Classic Ray said:

What is to say that the repairs will be of any better standard than the original construction? If road repairs are anything to go by, the surface will be peeling off in months, whilst many pigs feed at the trough.

Dont be silly, all airports do repairs . Having 300 tonnes slammed onto a surface every 60 seconds ...

I didn’t realise they’d stopped repairing them. 

Thank you Taksin for this great airport. Repairs only needed once a year. Less than substandard quality.

According to today's flight schedule, no less than 42 flights arrive between the time the first one lands at 5.35 and 8.30 when they expect to reopen both runways. Sixteen land between 6 and 6.30. I guess there'll be lots of circling above Bangkok while aircraft wait to land on the only operational runway at the country's premier international airport. The early arrivals is probably manageable with 42 flights in 180 minutes, but landing 16 fllghts in 30 minutes just ain't going to work, is it.

11 hours ago, madmen said:

Having 300 tonnes slammed onto a surface

They don't "slam" 300 tons on the runway, the 'ease' them down.

On 10/26/2019 at 12:14 PM, Assurancetourix said:

Close one of the tracks of the most important airport of Thailand at the time when the high season will begin;
it is an original idea that only the Thai know how to take but especially put into practice.

The TAT will explain us with a lot of numbers that it will not prevent the number of tourists to increase significantly.

On the other hand, I would like to be explained why the two tracks of Souvanaphum still have problems; they had some before the airport opened in September 2006

Runway maintenance is routine at any major airport.  As another poster said 300 tons pounding down on it every 60 seconds or so - you expect the runway surface to be the same one as was originally put in in 2006?

 

Heathrow repairs the surface of each runway during the night for six months of each year.  Six months on one runway, six months on the other, then repeat.  They don't have flights after 11pm so easier for them to do but it is a routine thing.  Bangkok runs 24 hours a day so no choice other than to close the runway at night.

 

21 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Why not just wait until after January 6th to start repairs without interruption?

 

It is repair work on a runway, did you ever consider that perhaps the work needs to be done now?  Or should they compromise safety in order to avoid a few minutes delay to what will be a handful of flights?

2 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

According to today's flight schedule, no less than 42 flights arrive between the time the first one lands at 5.35 and 8.30 when they expect to reopen both runways. Sixteen land between 6 and 6.30. I guess there'll be lots of circling above Bangkok while aircraft wait to land on the only operational runway at the country's premier international airport. The early arrivals is probably manageable with 42 flights in 180 minutes, but landing 16 fllghts in 30 minutes just ain't going to work, is it.

AFAIR it is not som much the number of landings that are the problem, but more a case of space on the fingers where the passengers embark and dis embark. If a flight is delayed off the chocks then the finger is blocked and the incoming flight has to wait on the pan, clear of the outgoing flight and that sometimes causes a domino effect on incoming flights.

On 10/26/2019 at 12:14 PM, Assurancetourix said:

Close one of the tracks of the most important airport of Thailand at the time when the high season will begin;
it is an original idea that only the Thai know how to take but especially put into practice.

So your brilliant idea is to do the runway repairs slap bang in the middle of the monsoon season instead, then, is it?

On 10/27/2019 at 1:13 PM, billd766 said:

AFAIR it is not som much the number of landings that are the problem, but more a case of space on the fingers where the passengers embark and dis embark. If a flight is delayed off the chocks then the finger is blocked and the incoming flight has to wait on the pan, clear of the outgoing flight and that sometimes causes a domino effect on incoming flights.

Space, fingers, chocks, pans and dominoes.

 

Yup, I reckon that just about sums it all up.

On 10/26/2019 at 11:11 AM, rooster59 said:

Wing Commander Suthirawat Suwanawat, general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport, Airports of Thailand (AOT), said on Friday (October 25) that Suvarnabhumi Airport will close the eastern runway (runway 01R-16L)

 

If the runway was 01R-16L it would be uniquely banana shaped.

 

The runway is 01R-19L.