When The Protesters Eventually Move Out

[taxexile]

Eventually the protests will end and they will all move out or be evicted.

Anybody any idea as to how long it would take to get the place operational again , I read somewhere that at the moment the airport has no " licence" to operate because of the upheavals there , will it need to be inspected and certified again , will all the systems need to be inspected for sabotage/damage etc. and can planes that have been sitting around for a week just be started and flown or will they need extensive and time consuming servicing before they can be used?

Anybody with any knowledge of these things out there ?

[Doalittle]

Eventually the protests will end and they will all move out or be evicted.

Anybody any idea as to how long it would take to get the place operational again ,

3 weeks

I read somewhere that at the moment the airport has no " licence" to operate because of the upheavals there , will it need to be inspected and certified again ,

Yes

will all the systems need to be inspected for sabotage/damage etc.

yes

and can planes that have been sitting around for a week just be started and flown or will they need extensive and time consuming servicing before they can be used?

88 ARE being moved as we speak

Anybody with any knowledge of these things out there ?

Yes

[taxexile]

3 weeks

why so long?

[Cuban]

I read somewhere that at the moment the airport has no " licence" to operate because of the upheavals there , will it need to be inspected and certified again ,

This is Thailand.

I was reading elsewhere that the local estimate is 2 clear working days before it could be used for international flights again after the last PAD was cleared out. The article went on to suggest that because of their 'stonghold' and lack of police/military will to shift them - the fact that they have been embedded for one week suggests that this could go on longer. No one will 'do' anything on this coming Friday, or for the few days before/after so playing the waiting game could be the government's position, wait for them to just get boreded and go.

I'm looking at taking a flight later this month - that might also be at risk now.

[Doalittle]

3 weeks

why so long?

Restarting Bangkok's $3 billion Suvarnabhumi airport will take at least 2 week's from the end of the current sit-in by protesters because of security and IT system checks, its general manager said on Monday

"Normally, checking the IT systems takes one week. We have to check, recheck, check, recheck,the delay would probably be even longer as some of complex's massive computers will need repair.

"I think some systems are damaged,"

2 WEEKS = 3 WEEKS

[taxexile]

thanks doalittle

[Crossy]

Restarting Bangkok's $3 billion Suvarnabhumi airport will take at least 2 week's from the end of the current sit-in by protesters because of security and IT system checks, its general manager said on Monday

"Normally, checking the IT systems takes one week. We have to check, recheck, check, recheck,the delay would probably be even longer as some of complex's massive computers will need repair.

"I think some systems are damaged,"

Do you have a source I can quote for that Doalittle? Needed to justify my absence from several meetings in India (including Mumbai which really doesn't need additional justification). Cheers

[RealityCheck]

Personally, I would not consider flying from or to either airport for at least a month following the occupation.

There's no telling what hidden damage has been done and no guarantees that the security sweeps will be thorough, especially considering the pressure that the airport authorities will be under to get things rolling again.

Consider flying from KL instead.

Come January, when no incidents have occured as a result of the PADs incursion, I'll feel a lot more confident about flying to and from BKK.

[Doalittle]

38 planes have now left Suvarnabhumi AIRPORT.

Crossy please read the rews online.

[Crossy]

Crossy please read the rews online.

Found it.

Edited December 1, 2008 by Crossy

[MeetJohnDoe]

There's no telling what hidden damage has been done and no guarantees that the security sweeps will be thorough, especially considering the pressure that the airport authorities will be under to get things rolling again.

I think you are being too dramatic...the PAD are occupying the airport to make a political statement. They have no reason or incentive to damage the IT/electronic or other systems at the airport. The airport is a symbol of the nation and not any one political faction so no need for them to trash it or booby trap anything. Sure, a massive clean-up will be necessary and a check of the IT and other systems but once that is done, all will be fine.

[Crossy]

There's no telling what hidden damage has been done and no guarantees that the security sweeps will be thorough, especially considering the pressure that the airport authorities will be under to get things rolling again.

I think you are being too dramatic...the PAD are occupying the airport to make a political statement. They have no reason or incentive to damage the IT/electronic or other systems at the airport. The airport is a symbol of the nation and not any one political faction so no need for them to trash it or booby trap anything. Sure, a massive clean-up will be necessary and a check of the IT and other systems but once that is done, all will be fine.

Whilst what you say is true, it only takes one AlQada operative in a yellow T to slip into a toilet airside past the security machines and hide a device or materials ready for flights to resume. Not likely, but possible

[Cuban]

It was my understandng (from the media) that the PAD had only occupied the airport's normally public areas? So security is no worse than 'normal'.

[Doalittle]

There's no telling what hidden damage has been done and no guarantees that the security sweeps will be thorough, especially considering the pressure that the airport authorities will be under to get things rolling again.

I think you are being too dramatic...the PAD are occupying the airport to make a political statement. They have no reason or incentive to damage the IT/electronic or other systems at the airport. The airport is a symbol of the nation and not any one political faction so no need for them to trash it or booby trap anything. Sure, a massive clean-up will be necessary and a check of the IT and other systems but once that is done, all will be fine.

Whilst what you say is true, it only takes one AlQada operative in a yellow T to slip into a toilet airside past the security machines and hide a device or materials ready for flights to resume. Not likely, but possible

Once Airports of Thailand has done all its checks, the Department of Civil Aviation and the airlines themselves have to do their own system verification before normal operations can resume,

It is not known how long those third-party checks will take

[neverdie]

If the standard start up time for all the security checks etc to be done is 2 weeks, then we better allow 6 weeks because afterall this is thailand and whats the rush??

[Doalittle]

If the standard start up time for all the security checks etc to be done is 2 weeks, then we better allow 6 weeks because afterall this is thailand and whats the rush??

Three weeks max.

afterall this is thailand and whats the rush?? Rubbish

[Doalittle]

Three weeks is full operational status.

[rogerdee123]

A newspaper article today by Reuters quoting the airport general manager .... it will take at least a week and probably longer.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssAirport...KK3366520081201

[MeetJohnDoe]

German news is reporting that even if they clear out the airports soon (doesn't seem likely) in may be Christmas before the backlog of people who are trapped in-country is worked-off.

[bkkjames]

depending on who you talk to, you will here that computers are missing and lots of damage inside. i have no idea how much but suffice to say, it will take a while from the day they eventually get out.

[MeetJohnDoe]

There have been reports of people having gained access to the airline lounges, duty-free stuffs, and restaurants and looting of the merchandise and fixtures therein. But that is all extras...as long as the main terminal airport equipment itself is ok.

[bkkjames]

Back to the OP's question, found this on the telegraph.co.uk website...

The general manager of Suvarnabhumi internbational airport, which normally handles 700 flights a day, said it would take at least a week to restore compromised securtity and compurter systems after the protesters leave the site, which may not happen soon.

"Normally, checking the IT systems takes one week. We have to check, recheck, check, recheck," said Serirat Prasutanond. If problems are discovered reopenning the airport could take even longer, he added.

whole story is... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...o-airports.html

[toptuan]

Three weeks is full operational status.

Thailand isn't well-known for following costly and time-consuming checks/preparation to avoid future mishaps.

Exhibits A,B,C & D: The subway system, cracks in the airport runways, airport toilets blocked off by King Power businesses, Siam Water Park, etc., etc., etc., Want me to go on?? Anyone worried about Thailand's new nuclear plant in the planning stages??

I give it no more than a week after the protesters clear their a$$es out. Half-baked or not, the doors will swing open to get the flow of that Beautiful Baht coming their way.

Edited December 1, 2008 by toptuan

[gk10002000]

I just don't see the airport passing any suitable inspection or security overview by any cognizant western organization, ICAO? US Department of Homeland Security etc.

I can't see how they would allow planes to depart Thailand and land in their country's space non-stop. Maybe some countries will, and maybe security can be relaxed for a while, but being in the industry, I don't see who would give approval. Too many holes in the security.

I doubt Cambodia or Taiwan is overly concerned about a 747 being commandeered and flown into their skyscrapers or other targets, while the USA and some other western countries might be a little more concerned.

[MeetJohnDoe]

I just don't see the airport passing any suitable inspection or security overview by any cognizant western organization, ICAO? US Department of Homeland Security etc.

I don't think Swampy has ever been know as a very secure airport... but it doesn't seem to have stopped them from getting certified in the past

[gk10002000]

I just don't see the airport passing any suitable inspection or security overview by any cognizant western organization, ICAO? US Department of Homeland Security etc.

I don't think Swampy has ever been know as a very secure airport... but it doesn't seem to have stopped them from getting certified in the past

True. I have to agree with you there. I am booked on EVA to Tai Pei to Seattle on December 21. I can imagin myself getting up to Phenom Penh and flying to Taiwan from there.

U Tapao could be immensely convenient as I am in Pattaya, but from what I have been hearing, they currently want people to get up to Bangkok, then they bus them down to U Tapao!

We'll see what happens after this week. Between the court rulings and the King's speech if he is willing and able on Friday the 5th.

[Insight]

Was really looking forward to a trip to the UK over Christmas with the missus that included one week in Paris, leaving here on the 13th.

Probably best I stop typing now.

[gk10002000]

Was really looking forward to a trip to the UK over Christmas with the missus that included one week in Paris, leaving here on the 13th.

Probably best I stop typing now.

You show remarkable restraint. My compliments to you.