Why Does Bangkok Have Two Airports?

[tartempion]

Landed this Thursday morning 23 October at That unnameable new airport, Savanaboum?

Took a meter taxi at the official stand in the middle after a coffee at level 3 (there is an other taxi stand more to the end of arrivals)

When I went down with my luggage caddie a Thai man followed me down asking if I needed a taxi, so I showed him the taxi stand you could see from the ramp. He did not look happy, up to him as they say here.

Meter showed 300 Baht near down town on the high way after paying 25+45 Baht toll, reached 437 Baht at Don Muang airport.

Driver stayed under elevated Vipawadi-Rangsit tollway to save me some baht.

Plus the 50 baht "airport service" gave 500B, not the cheapest way to transfer between airports.

Got there at 9 am for a flight leaving around midday.

Saw some 10 flights on the TV screen leaving until 4pm.

How many flights do leave Don Muang every day? Maybe no more than 40/50 if they have that many...

So The new Savanboum airport can not handle that handful flights?

Is that a Thai insiders joke?

No transportation between the two airports, shuttle bus or similar?

If you go by taxi as I did it means an extra 600B including toll.

Don Muang looks old and dusty, better close the place for ever.

Don Muang for domestic flights makes no sense to me, maybe it does for Thai?

[Carib]

It makes "sense" in lots of countries to have several airports around one city. Or to separate the international flights from the domestic ones, either by using different airports or separating them on one airport.

So it is not just a Thai insiders joke.

[eek]

Im SO glad of Don Muang if i need to travel from CM to BKK. I prefer the smaller airport than the hustle and bustle of Suvarnabhumi. I imagine having Don Muang helps keep flights running on time ..? I would imagine helps cut down congestion from flights, people, and cars too. It just seems to make sense to have a smaller airport for domestic flights, less walking distance, less people, ease of use, etc.

I also know of many countries that have more than one airport in the cities. Makes a lot of sense to me.

[skiman1]

Don Muang is about 90 years old and was closed when the new Airport opened however due to some issues with cracking / sinking areas at the new Airport some airlines were moved back to Don Muang to ease the situation at the new Airport and allow repairs to be done.

I have to agree though it was then and is now a good Airport to fly from to avoid big crowds if going on a domestic route.

[ignis]

Suvarnabhumi the NEW airport opened and Don Muang was closed, but problems at the new airport building + bad runways + lots of repair work = they had to re open Don Muang

[dingdongrb]

I would check the meter of those taxis you used...... I go from Suvarnabhumi to Laski all the time (just did 3 weeks ago) and the taxi cost (minus toll) was less than 300 baht.... I really can't imagine it being 300 more baht between Laski and Don Muang.

[NanLaew]

Bugger me! Six posts and nobody has blamed the new airport on Thaksin yet.

Come on wake up you PAD'ites, get with the pogrom... umm program I mean.

[Kerryd]

A lot of cities, some much smaller than Bangkok, have two (or more) airports.

Dubai, with all it's money, is expanding it's fairly new airport even more, and still uses a separate terminal on the other side of the airport for regional/charter flights. No shuttle bus between the terminals so you have to use a taxi (about 285 baht, to go from one terminal around the airfield to the other terminal). When I arrived on 12 Oct, I had about a 40 minute wait in the taxi queue due to the number of people and lack of taxis (and no shuttle buses).

A shuttle service between the two Bangkok airports would obviously make things more convenient. Perhaps if enough people filled out those Customer Satisfaction survey forms, recommending such a service, something might happen (in the far off future of course).

I'd say, if the demand for a shuttle service was there, there would already be one (unless the evil Airport Taxi Mafia has quashed any such plans) !

[rixalex]

Bugger me! Six posts and nobody has blamed the new airport on Thaksin yet.

Come on wake up you PAD'ites, get with the pogrom... umm program I mean.

Well since you mention it, he was largely responsible for that mess, amongst many others...

[PhilHarries]

Tokyo does okay with two airports, Narita and Haneda, but there is an efficient shuttle bus service between the two.

Suvarnabhumi was supposed to have the capacity to handle all flights and I thought DM was reopened because of congestion at the new airport. Anyone know what, if anything, is happening about the proposed LCC terminal?

I didn't think the reopening of DM had anything to do with the cracks which of course were entirely Thaksin's fault. The bloke couldn't mix concrete to save his life.

[tartempion]

So they build a new, bigger, moderner airport, close down the old one and then figure out the new, bigger, moderner airport can't handle all the traffic the old airport could and re-open the old airport. Good job, who runs off with the rewards?

It also looks the meter of that taxi was tampered with?? So I avoided the scam of the guy offering a "taxi" to run into a meter scam

Edited October 26, 2008 by tartempion

[wileycoyote]

I still think 1 big airport,is the way forward.

Whether it is Suvaranabhumi or Don Muang,I don't know

[Kerryd]

So they build a new, bigger, moderner airport, close down the old one and then figure out the new, bigger, moderner airport can't handle all the traffic the old airport could and re-open the old airport. Good job, who runs off with the rewards?

The problem appears to have stemmed from a rise in air traffic that wasn't expected to happen for years. Swampy was expected to near it's (current) peak capacity 4-5 years from now, at which point the planned expansion would kick in. However, for what ever reasons, they hit that peak in the first year. Maybe it was poor planning, maybe it was effective ad campaigns, maybe it was good exchange rates, maybe it was a combination of numerous little things.

Re-opening DM was one way of cutting down on the unexpected congestion at Swampy. I think some airlines moved back to DM due to lower fees as well. Having two airports running gives the administration time to implement the expansion of Swampy without it being a major panic.

Two airports also gives the flexibility to have all cargo flights operate from a facility separate from the passenger flights.

For a lot of local passenger traffic, they are flying to/from Bangkok to/from elsewhere in the country. Not a huge amount of International-to-Regional (or visa-versa) traffic, so for most local traffic, flying in/out of DM isn't a big deal.

[maxjay]

Whatever the reason...for me to fly from Udon Thani to D.M. and then connect to a international flight out of Swampy is a nightmare, IMO.

[skiman1]

So they build a new, bigger, moderner airport, close down the old one and then figure out the new, bigger, moderner airport can't handle all the traffic the old airport could and re-open the old airport. Good job, who runs off with the rewards?

The problem appears to have stemmed from a rise in air traffic that wasn't expected to happen for years. Swampy was expected to near it's (current) peak capacity 4-5 years from now, at which point the planned expansion would kick in. However, for what ever reasons, they hit that peak in the first year. Maybe it was poor planning, maybe it was effective ad campaigns, maybe it was good exchange rates, maybe it was a combination of numerous little things.

Re-opening DM was one way of cutting down on the unexpected congestion at Swampy. I think some airlines moved back to DM due to lower fees as well. Having two airports running gives the administration time to implement the expansion of Swampy without it being a major panic.

Two airports also gives the flexibility to have all cargo flights operate from a facility separate from the passenger flights.

For a lot of local passenger traffic, they are flying to/from Bangkok to/from elsewhere in the country. Not a huge amount of International-to-Regional (or visa-versa) traffic, so for most local traffic, flying in/out of DM isn't a big deal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suvarnabhumi_Airport

[lomatopo]

It looks like there are ~ 50 departures and ~ 50 arrivals (commercial) each day at DMK. Some domestic flight ops were moved to DMK at a time (24/3/2007) when the airport authority was genuinely concerned that one runway (1L/19R) at SBIA might have to be closed for extensive repairs. This was a runway capacity issue; peak landings, takeoffs per hour). As it turned out this was not the case; minor repairs were made on the runway and major repairs made on some taxiways and aprons. SBIA could easily handle all the domestic flights currently operating out of DMK and am not sure why they haven't moved back? I know TG did not want to move any of their flights (UTH, UBP, HDY, CNX, URT, CEI, KKC, PHS, HKT) as it causes them and their pax serious problems.

Regarding the OP's taxi fare; the meter was not tampered with, the driver just took a more indirect route. The metered fare could have been closer to 325 THB. There are buses and mini-vans operating between the two airports. My best guess on connecting traffic for TG flights ex-DMK would be 20% on average daily, including lay-/stop-overs.

All international cargo (obivously) arrives or departs SBIA rather than DMK.

Edited October 27, 2008 by lomatopo

[toptuan]

Whatever the reason...for me to fly from Udon Thani to D.M. and then connect to a international flight out of Swampy is a nightmare, IMO.

If you're not carrying a lot of baggage, what's wrong with....

Don Muang to BTS Mochit -- by taxi 100B

BTS Mochit to BTS On Nut -- by BTS 60B

BTS On Nut to Swampy -- by taxi 200B

By my calculation, that's about 360 baht total (don't take the tollways), and you'll probably save time by avoiding the terrible inner-city traffic mess. I've only done this 2-3 times, and it's worked for me. Maybe those with more experience can enlighten us about the pitfalls I'm not seeing.

[PattayaParent]

Bugger me! Six posts and nobody has blamed the new airport on Thaksin yet.

Come on wake up you PAD'ites, get with the pogrom... umm program I mean.

OK I'll have a go.

Why does Bangkok have two airports?

Well lets say you have a shedload of land that is absolutely useless, in fact worse than useless because it's a swamp full of cobras and nobody wants to touch it with a very very very long bargepole.

And let's say you have a few mates in the government that you offer bits of the land to in return for getting a brand new airport built on this useless bit of swamp infested with cobras and getting a perfectly good airport that was only recently expanded with a brand new second terminal closed down.

And say your mates in the government see a way to make some extra bucks in 'commission' for assisting a successful bidder to be awarded the contract to build the new airport, not to mention all the other bits of commission that can be picked up along the way in awarding concessions for the Duty Free etc.

And that's why there are two airports in Bangkok.

[phaethon]

London has at least five (Heathrow, Gatwick, City, Stanstead and even Luton is classed as London in budget airlines books.) Wait until EasyJet start flying into Chiang Mai and calling it Bangkok.

[amphur]

You could tell the taxi driver to take Ram Intra and Outer Ring East. This way you avoid city centre traffic.

[onzestan]

And say your mates in the government see a way to make some extra bucks in 'commission' for assisting a successful bidder to be awarded the contract to build the new airport, not to mention all the other bits of commission that can be picked up along the way in awarding concessions for the Duty Free etc.

And that's why there are two airports in Bangkok.

A bit like Palin's pipeline then ?

cheers

onzestan

[PattayaParent]

A bit like Palin's pipeline then ?

cheers

onzestan

And the canal across the Isthmus of Kra.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I agree with the OP. Suvarnaqbhumi is currently NOT used to the max, and with 1-2-Go and Nok inching towards going belly up, there really is not reason for the inconvenience of having to transfer between airports.

Other countries have multiple airports around their biggest cities out of necessity, not because it makes sense or is convenient!

It may even make sense to let C concource join the domestic side if needed.. it's not like the international side is fully utilized..

[tartempion]

There are buses and mini-vans operating between the two airports. My best guess on connecting traffic for TG flights ex-DMK would be 20% on average daily, including lay-/stop-overs.

Thank you, that's 20% of people who could have a better connection solution.

There is a thread running in Swampy section saying no more city buses at Swampy, need to take shuttle to Transportation center first, adding an extra load to the problem. Smart thinking.

I think the reopening of Don Meuang was a voluntary created error (don't the military have some interest there?), travellers are the victims, airlines probably also.

[tw25rw]

London has at least five (Heathrow, Gatwick, City, Stanstead and even Luton is classed as London in budget airlines books.) Wait until EasyJet start flying into Chiang Mai and calling it Bangkok.

There's also London Biggin Hill. Formerly there was London Manston, actually near Ramsgate, but they renamed it.

[Ricardo]

Tokyo does okay with two airports, Narita and Haneda, but there is an efficient shuttle bus service between the two.

Suvarnabhumi was supposed to have the capacity to handle all flights and I thought DM was reopened because of congestion at the new airport. Anyone know what, if anything, is happening about the proposed LCC terminal?

I didn't think the reopening of DM had anything to do with the cracks which of course were entirely Thaksin's fault. The bloke couldn't mix concrete to save his life.

Which presumably is why it was his wife, who was handing out the contracts for cement work, while he himself merely took personal control of the whole project "to ensure that there is no corruption involved". Wasn't there an apt phrase, involving lunatics & asylums, covering this sort of situation ?

London has at least five (Heathrow, Gatwick, City, Stanstead and even Luton is classed as London in budget airlines books.) Wait until EasyJet start flying into Chiang Mai and calling it Bangkok.

There's also London Biggin Hill. Formerly there was London Manston, actually near Ramsgate, but they renamed it.

Not to mention Southend ! And Manston is still (just about) operating.

[billp]

I agree the taxi should not have cost more than 350, at the most 400 baht including tolls. There's expressway all the way, no need to run into downtown traffic at all. The 554 bus costs 35 baht.

[bangon04]

So they build a new, bigger, moderner airport, close down the old one and then figure out the new, bigger, moderner airport can't handle all the traffic the old airport could and re-open the old airport. Good job, who runs off with the rewards?

Or try it the Philippines way - build a big new airport terminal in Manila to handle expansion, then keep it closed altogether so it slowly rots, and then argue about who will pay for it.... It's not just Thailand...