IATA expresses concern over new airport completion

BANGKOK, Sept 25 (TNA) - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) yesterday expressed concern over Thailand's ability to construct Bangkok's new international airport on schedule, with IATA representatives grilling Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit on safety issues and landing fees.

Speaking after meeting IATA executives yesterday afternoon, Mr. Suriya said that he had given confirmation that while the construction of Second Bangkok International Airport, or the Suvarnabhumi Airport, was currently experiencing delays, it would be opened on schedule in September next year if all parties cooperated to ensure its completion.

Nonetheless, he hinted that the government's confidence might be wavering, saying that if the airport could not be completed on time, the government would inform IATA by February 2005 at the latest.

On 28 September Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has promised to hold a special cabinet meeting at the airport construction site to review its construction progress.

The prime minister will spend the previous night in a tent erected on the airfield pavement, and has pledged to ensure that construction is accelerated.

Mr. Suriya yesterday also apologised to IATA for failing to provide adequate information on a recent decision of Airport of Thailand Public Co., Ltd. to raise landing fees by 20 percent.

But he insisted that the new fees come into effect in October, noting that even with the new fee structure, Thailand's airport fees would remain lower than those of other countries in the region.

He also pointed out that Thailand had not altered its fees for the past nine years, despite having spent Bt3.6 billion on improving new landing space at the Don Muang International Airport two years ago.

-- TNA 2004-09-25

The excellent website http://www.2bangkok.com comment to this news:

The cabinet meeting is being held one day before the one-year countdown begins to the scheduled opening of the airport. After the government judges the political ramifications of admitting a delay in opening, some kind of change of schedule could be announced or they could stick to the Taiwanese model. In Taipei they landed a plane at its incomplete Terminal Two and declared it operational. However, full operations will not start for another two years.