Mega-airport Still Struggling To Materialize

[george]

Suvarnabhumi Airport Still Struggling To Materialize

Plagued by allegations of cronyism and mismanagement throughout its history of more than 40 years, Thailand’s still unfinished 3.7-billion-dollar Suvarnabhumi Airport now has the country’s premier cracking the whip to get the project completed.

The long-delayed second international airport, which the Thai government has conceded might not be finished in time for its planned September 2005 opening, has been bogged down since 1960 by political wrangling, corruption allegations and problems with the marshy site.

The airport -- about 25 kilometers east of the capital at Nong Ngu Hao, which means Cobra Swamp -- is touted as being Southeast Asia’s largest and the government is banking on it making the kingdom the region’s undisputed aviation hub.

Once completed, the first phase of Suvarnabhumi is expected to handle three million tons of cargo and accommodate up to 45 million passengers annually, which is 15 million more than Bangkok’s Don Muang International Airport can currently take.

It will also be the only airport in the country capable of handling Airbus’ new 555-seater A380, and could potentially accommodate 100 million passengers a year once a planned fourth runway is completed.

But the airport -- often cited as a prime example of poor economic planning and management of large infrastructure projects in the kingdom -- has already passed through two initial deadlines, the first in 1990 and the second in 2000.

Construction only began in January 2002 and that year the International Air

Transport Association ominously warned that while it calculated all new airports are 90 percent construction and 10 percent politics, “here in Bangkok it is 99 percent politics”.

Since then allegations of mismanagement have only intensified, and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has now threatened state bans on the contractors if the airport is not finished in time.

Last year sub-contractors and suppliers privately complained they were holding out on work and the delivery of construction materials because they were not getting paid, and this was the prime cause of the delay.

“We had a lot of hard and tough negotiations but all of those financial disputes have been settled,” said Premchai.

Despite being just over a year away from opening, the enormous skeletal frame of Suvarnabhumi Airport’s futuristic passenger terminal -- covering 536,000 square meters -- still sits at the end of a long dirt road surrounded by churned wasteland and mud.

The long delay has also allowed neighboring countries like Singapore and Malaysia to better develop their potential to compete as rival regional aviation hubs.

--Agencies 2004-08-17

[ovenman]

Plagued by allegations of cronyism and mismanagement throughout its history of more than 40 years, Thailand’s still unfinished 3.7-billion-dollar Suvarnabhumi Airport now has the country’s premier cracking the whip to get the project completed.

Anybody know if there is a Thai word for boondoggle?

[Nemesis]

With all due respect to the King, who named the Suvarnabhumi Airport, the name itself was, how shall we put it discreetly? not the easiest name for foreigners (or even natives to pronounce, sober or otherwise).

It's been down hill ever since.

[kwiz117]

With all due respect to the King, who named the Suvarnabhumi Airport, the name itself was, how shall we put it discreetly? not the easiest name for foreigners (or even natives to pronounce, sober or otherwise).

It's been down hill ever since.

Yes, it's from Sanskrit. The meaning is "Golden land"

[stumonster]

regional <insert word here> hub.

regional cronyism hub maybe

[ovenman]

regional <insert word here> hub.

regional cronyism hub maybe

...words right outta my mouth.