Green light for north, west, east expansion of Suvarnabhumi airport

[rooster59]

Green light for north, west, east expansion of Suvarnabhumi airport

By The Nation

 

Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob

 

The Airports of Thailand (AOT) got the go-ahead on Friday for the northern, western and eastern expansion of Suvarnabhumi airport at a cost of Bt60 billion, said Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob.

 

 

The plan was approved at a meeting between the committee tasked with boosting the airport’s capacity, the National Economic and Social Development Council, the Finance Ministry and AOT.

 

The East expansion and West expansion projects each will boost capacity by 15 million passengers per year and each cost over Bt7.8 billion.

 

The northern expansion will serve 30 million passengers per year and cost Bt41.26 billion.

 

The AOT told the meeting that the airport needs to expand after seeing 60 million passengers per year pre-Covid-19, while the existing main passenger terminal could only cater to 45 million per year.

 

The AOT is also developing a third runway, which will raise capacity from the current 68 to 90 flights per hour, lifting passengers per year from 60 million to 90 million.

 

The proposed expansion is due to be vetted by the Cabinet in March.

 

The bidding process to build the northern expansion is expected to take six months, with construction due to be completed in September, 2023. Construction of the eastern and western expansions is slated for completion in January 2024.

 

AOT president Nitinai Sirismatthakarn said the AOT is ready to make investment as planned. It has cash flow of Bt32 billion.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30401310

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2021-01-16

 

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[thenewgoo]

Approx 57 Billion baht on airport expansions - just seems to be an odd idea in these times. 

[harada]

2 hours ago, thenewgoo said:

Approx 57 Billion baht on airport expansions - just seems to be an odd idea in these times. 

One for the airport, two for me. 

[Salerno]

2 hours ago, thenewgoo said:

Approx 57 Billion baht on airport expansions - just seems to be an odd idea in these times. 

 

Not that odd, major works are often used throughout the world to stimulate the economy and create jobs in times of economic downturn.

[eastendanto]

The South must wonder what it done wrong ????????????

[VocalNeal]

Will any money be spent on traffic approaches to and from to alleviate traffic snarl ups on the "motorway" at peak hours?

Sure expand the capacity of the airport but all those people have to get to/from the airport. 

[Bangkok Barry]

I wonder if anyone has mentioned to them that the airport will remain empty for at least a year, maybe two or three, and the numbers it saw before are unlikely to return. It's because there's a pandemic on - I read about it on the internet - and far less people will have the spare money to travel.

[fxe1200]

27 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

I wonder if anyone has mentioned to them that the airport will remain empty for at least a year, maybe two or three, and the numbers it saw before are unlikely to return. It's because there's a pandemic on - I read about it on the internet - and far less people will have the spare money to travel.

But for the amount of kickbacks expected, this is a very profitable project - for government officials.

[DaLa]

Good time to do it, and good to see someone has a vision post C-19. I've noticed quite a lot of infrastructure work being commenced since March last year , even new condos, shops, and properties being built.  With all the gloom of Covid and all the negative reports from the tourism industry it make a refreshing change.

Can't wait to get back travelling, not only because it has impacted our business ( non tourism). 

[mackayae]

Don't forget the Hong Nam's.

[Patong2021]

Public transportation projects must be planned for future needs. Seems obvious, yes?

 

On 1/15/2021 at 9:27 PM, thenewgoo said:

Approx 57 Billion baht on airport expansions - just seems to be an odd idea in these times. 

Why? The airport was over capacity pre Covid. You think we will be in Covid state forever, with no hope of coming back to our lives in 1-2 years? Already 1 year  finish.

 

On 1/16/2021 at 12:56 AM, Bangkok Barry said:

I wonder if anyone has mentioned to them that the airport will remain empty for at least a year, maybe two or three, and the numbers it saw before are unlikely to return. It's because there's a pandemic on - I read about it on the internet - and far less people will have the spare money to travel.

If airport is  going  to be empty for 1 year as you claim, then excellent time to do disruptive construction. Disruptive because of equipment and need for  detours and tarmac adjustments and air traffic controls.

If you read article, 

-bidding process -six months. (I expect maybe 1 year)

-Phase 1 construction  to be completed in September, 2023.  (I expect maybe  December 2023 or Q1 2024

-Phase 2 expansion cannot go until above is complete and it may not happen. (I expect at best maybe 2025)

 

Expansion is not easy. Must clear with airlines in advance to allow schedule planning and delays and shifting of some operations. If they listen to TVF critics, they wait until airport is close to collapse again due to over capacity and farangs start complaining again airport overcrowded, too small yap, yap, yap. Smart to start now and maybe with luck finish 5 years. Pandemic will be long  finished. Maybe we have new pandemic or war or have meteorite impact in that time, but life must go on until then.

[Bangkok Barry]

6 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

Expansion is not easy. Must clear with airlines in advance to allow schedule planning and delays and shifting of some operations. If they listen to TVF critics, they wait until airport is close to collapse again due to over capacity and farangs start complaining again airport overcrowded, too small yap, yap, yap. Smart to start now and maybe with luck finish 5 years. Pandemic will be long  finished. Maybe we have new pandemic or war or have meteorite impact in that time, but life must go on until then.

 

There is no mention of airline schedules being affected during a construction period. Perhaps you have inside knowledge on that, or it is simply your declaration that it will be necessary. Runway maintenance is usually the only cause of disruption to schedules.

It's a pity that all their thinking in advance planning didn't extend to building a large enough airport right at the start, an airport that was so overcrowded from the day it opened that they had to re-open the old one to take the overflow.

[spiekerjozef]

Let's spent it on an empty airport.

[josephbloggs]

On 1/18/2021 at 7:01 AM, spiekerjozef said:

Let's spent it on an empty airport.

Yep, instead we should wait until the airport becomes really busy and overcrowded again, then start planning an expansion so 4-5 later it will be better.  That way the TVF grumps will get to complain about it incessantly and tell everyone that the Thais have no forward thinking.

[bangon04]

Is it just possible that the Chinese Communist Party will help to fund this major infrastructure project with loans??  Of course if the Thai government finds itself unable to repay the loans then a 99 year lease for the airport would be a suitable recompense to the CCP. Just wondering.........

[josephbloggs]

5 hours ago, bangon04 said:

Is it just possible that the Chinese Communist Party will help to fund this major infrastructure project with loans??  Of course if the Thai government finds itself unable to repay the loans then a 99 year lease for the airport would be a suitable recompense to the CCP. Just wondering.........

No.

 

Maybe try reading the article before posting your Chinese paranoia.  It really irks me how many people post (let's face it) racist nonsense without even reading the article concerned.  You would have saved yourself looking foolish and ignorant.  Maybe try it one day.

"AOT president Nitinai Sirismatthakarn said the AOT is ready to make investment as planned. It has cash flow of Bt32 billion."

[bangon04]

8 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

No.

 

Maybe try reading the article before posting your Chinese paranoia.  It really irks me how many people post (let's face it) racist nonsense without even reading the article concerned.  You would have saved yourself looking foolish and ignorant.  Maybe try it one day.

"AOT president Nitinai Sirismatthakarn said the AOT is ready to make investment as planned. It has cash flow of Bt32 billion."

You are welcome to believe everything you hear from every Thai government / quango official. You obviously have great confidence in the integrity of all Thai government announcements.

[josephbloggs]

10 minutes ago, bangon04 said:

You are welcome to believe everything you hear from every Thai government / quango official. You obviously have great confidence in the integrity of all Thai government announcements.

Right, they're making it up and you know better.  Ok, thanks.

[bangon04]

1 minute ago, josephbloggs said:

Right, they're making it up and you know better.  Ok, thanks.

and you apparently also believe that AOT is not controlled or influenced by the Thai government - so AOT automatically makes statements with complete integrity.

[josephbloggs]

8 minutes ago, bangon04 said:

and you apparently also believe that AOT is not controlled or influenced by the Thai government - so AOT automatically makes statements with complete integrity.

The AOT is a publicly listed company (yes, with government majority holding).  It almost exclusively self funds its own projects or seeks domestic loans as first priority.  And this expansion is self funded, as publicly stated by the publicly listed public company with easily enough (publicly certifiable) cash flow to make it happen  The satellite concourse that is almost finished was self funded (I believe).  AOT makes huge huge profits.

But again you know best, so no doubt they are secretly borrowing from China, lying to the SET, and falsifying their public accounts.  All because of, erm, enlighten me as to why they would do that again?  Good job we have you though to uncover this clandestine skullduggery though - go Bangon, go TVF, yay!!

[madmen]

On 1/16/2021 at 3:56 PM, Bangkok Barry said:

I wonder if anyone has mentioned to them that the airport will remain empty for at least a year, maybe two or three, and the numbers it saw before are unlikely to return. It's because there's a pandemic on - I read about it on the internet - and far less people will have the spare money to travel.

It won't be finished completion for 2 or 3 years. 

How could you have possibly missed that? 

 

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, madmen said:

On 1/16/2021 at 12:56 PM, Bangkok Barry said:

I wonder if anyone has mentioned to them that the airport will remain empty for at least a year, maybe two or three, and the numbers it saw before are unlikely to return. It's because there's a pandemic on - I read about it on the internet - and far less people will have the spare money to travel.

It won't be finished completion for 2 or 3 years. 

How could you have possibly missed that? 

 

and the numbers it saw before are unlikely to return
How could you have possibly missed that?

[madmen]

16 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

and the numbers it saw before are unlikely to return
How could you have possibly missed that?

I'm quoting the article and your silly response on completion date. 

You are actually quoting yourself which is even silliar 

 

[mtls2005]

The short-straw is always the number of runways and simultaneous multiple runway usage, leading to a maximum number of takeoffs and landings per hour. This becomes more of an issue as A380s and 747s shuffle off to the boneyard. Sat-1 was designed for the large bodies, back in the day.

 

The back-end stuff can usually be fudged a bit.

 

The new Sat-1 terminal (mid-field) should be ready in 2022-ish.

 

Then the Sat-2 terminal, the South terminal and the North terminal.

 

That north terminal (PKA: Terminal 2) was a bit of a kerfuffle previously (2019). Interesting design. 

 

 

So a third runway should/may help, but it looks quite close to 1L/19R so there will be limits on operation, I would think? DMK has a similar issue with the runways being too close to each other.

 

I think a fourth runway is planned as well, to the east of 1R/19L.

 

 

 

[Dr B]

For me the shame is that the authorities seem to have lost sight of the original master plan. This was laid out back in the early 1990s, and allowed for steady growth from 30 MAP to 100 MAP, with one terminal, (north) then a mid-concourse, then a second terminal, and finally a south concourse. Meanhwile runway increased from two to four. The planning has to be done very carefully because of the need for aircraft to cross live runways to reach outer runways. Separations between aircraft doing the same thing (taking off or landing) are less than than between aircraft taking off and those landing. Unfortunately there are large sums of money invovled in all of these airport expansion works, so they are seen as major sources of political income. I believe that is the reason behind the plethora of proposed buildings in quite new locations. How the aircraft will get to them I am not sure. The planners also need to be aware that the distance from aterminal to a take-off point, or from a landin gpoint to a terminal, is crucial as that is all airlines cost for fuel for taxiing. Make those distances long and the airport becomes unattractive, and the airlines will seek alternatives.

[Dr B]

I should have mentioned that of course the original master plan needs updating, with all the chnages in aircraft mix that have happened in the last 30 years and the revised plans for the post-Covid future, but that is not the same as throwing the old plan away.

[cormanr7]

On 3/1/2021 at 9:52 AM, mtls2005 said:

So a third runway should/may help, but it looks quite close to 1L/19R so there will be limits on operation, I would think? DMK has a similar issue with the runways being too close to each other.

 

I think a fourth runway is planned as well, to the east of 1R/19L.

 

Suvanabhumi was planned as a four runway airport a la Los Angeles, with sets of closely spaced runways on either side of the terminal. The closely spaced runways will likely be used as in LAX, with one for landing and one for take off. If you look at Google maps (in satellite view), you can clearly see the outline of the third runway (at the western edge of the airport), it has been there for years. Indeed, the fourth runway (if this materializes) will be at the eastern edge of the airport.

[sezze]

They should spend their money now on vaccines , and not on runways since not a lot of planes use them now anyway . In order to get planes back , the country need to be open and safe , both which are not the case , and i think the airport can perfectly handle 4 airplanes a day .

[Dr B]

On 6/23/2021 at 1:53 PM, cormanr7 said:

Suvanabhumi was planned as a four runway airport a la Los Angeles, with sets of closely spaced runways on either side of the terminal. The closely spaced runways will likely be used as in LAX, with one for landing and one for take off. If you look at Google maps (in satellite view), you can clearly see the outline of the third runway (at the western edge of the airport), it has been there for years. Indeed, the fourth runway (if this materializes) will be at the eastern edge of the airport.

I am sorry but I have to disagree cormanr7. The pairs of runways which are close together are more likely to handle aircraft on both of the pair that are either taking off or landing. To maximise throughput, you need to minimise the distance between aircraft, and that means they must all be headed in the same direction. The pairs of runways on the left and the right are far enough apart not to interfere with each other, according to ICAO. It also makes the ground movements safer, if on one side you have aircarft that have just landed crossing live runways where other aircraft will be landing, while on the other side you have aircraft taxiing for take off and needing to avoid other aircraft taking off.

I can remember standing on the ground at Heathrow on a fine day, and counting the maximum number of aircraft I could see using one runway, with one landing or taxiing and others queued up in the sky behind.