george Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 New Bangkok Airport To Operate March 2006; Delay 6 Months BANGKOK: -- State-owned Airports of Thailand PCL said late Friday that commercial operations at Bangkok's new international airport will begin in March 2006, six months later than its previously scheduled Sept. 29, 2005 opening. Srisook Chandrangsu, AOT's chairman, said construction of the Suvarnabhumi Airport would be completed by September, but it may take around six more months to test all the systems. "On Sept. 29, there will certainly be tests by aircraft," he said, referring to take-offs and landings. "However, we need to have tests of all systems. If we can complete all the tests sooner, it's possible that we may start commercial operation before March," Srisook said, responding to reporters questions. A source at AOT said overall construction work at the new airport is currently 86% complete. The new airport is designed to accommodate up to 45 million passengers a year. Italian-Thai Development PCL (ITD.TH), together with Japanese partners Takenaka Corp. (TNA.YY) and Obayashi Corp. (1802.TO), hold the contract to build the passenger terminal and concourse buildings of the airport. AOT operates five airports in Thailand, including Bangkok's existing international airport and the facility, officially called New Bangkok International Airport. --Yahoo News 2005-02-26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george Posted February 26, 2005 Author Share Posted February 26, 2005 AVIATION / SUVARNABHUMI New airport's opening delayed by six months BANGKOK: -- Airports of Thailand admitted for the first time yesterday that Suvarnabhumi Airport will open six months after its originally scheduled opening date of Sept 29. AoT chairman Srisook Chandrangsu said the delay to March next year is aimed at ensuring the safety of airline passengers. The delay will be spent test-running systems being installed at the new Bangkok international airport, he said. But he dismissed a notion that the delay was forced by construction problems, saying most construction was only slightly behind schedule and workers would be able to finish projects on time. Mr Srisook spoke during a ceremony to accept bids for commercial space at the new airport. There have been concerns raised by several sectors that Suvarnabhumi Airport would not be able to open this year. The International Air Transport Association and construction experts were among those who cast doubts on the Sept 29 opening date, given the amount of work still incomplete. In September, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra camped out at the site in Samut Prakan's Bang Phli district to boost workers' morale. At the same time, experts were warning about airport safety and quality amid government and AoT pressure on construction firms to meet the deadline. Mr Srisook insisted planes will be able to touch down at the airport on Sept 29, but commercial operation will be impossible until the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) approves airport safety measures. ICAO officials have visited the airport to inspect installed equipment, he said. ''Once it is open, it must not have any problems obstructing service,'' Mr Srisook said. Airlines have been informed about the new opening date and they will be allowed to enter the airport in April to prepare their work areas, he said. Once complete, the 155-billion-baht Suvarnabhumi Airport will be the world's largest single-terminal airport capable of accommodating 45 million passengers in the first phase. It is five times bigger than Don Muang airport. Five consortiums are vying for the right to develop the commercial areas covering 20,000 square metres at the new airport. AoT accepted proposals from consortiums led by King Power International Co, Mastermind Consultant Co, Central Department Store Co, Uawatsakul Co and Imperial Plaza Co. Mr Srisook said technical bids will be evaluated from Feb 28 and two contenders with the best technical scores based on marketing and commercial development plans will be selected for a price contest. Retail prices in the commercial zone will be capped at 25% above market prices, he said, adding that a good marketing plan was a key to winning the contract. The contractor will be required to guarantee a minimum return and a 15% share of its income for AoT. Mr Srisook said most contenders were operators at Don Muang and the winning bid would be announced next month so that the contractor could finish commercial development in time for the opening. --The Post 2005-02-26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartinBKK Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Anyone surprised here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abandon Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Cracks me up that it is 86% complete - how can they arrive at such a precise figure? And 86% timewise, moneywise, constructionwise; accounting for employing staff, kitting out exractor vents in the kitchens, ........? Reminds me of Spock rating the Enterprises chances of surviving a particular disaster at 8.409% - ROUGHLY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoneman Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Does anyone even believe that it will open in Mar 2006???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scratt Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Cracks me up that it is 86% complete - how can they arrive at such a precise figure? And 86% timewise, moneywise, constructionwise; accounting for employing staff, kitting out exractor vents in the kitchens, ........?Reminds me of Spock rating the Enterprises chances of surviving a particular disaster at 8.409% - ROUGHLY. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Forget the airport opening... What about the support road system! It doesn't look to me like it will be ready any time soon either.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george Posted February 26, 2005 Author Share Posted February 26, 2005 I believe it's better to wait with the opening until the airport is ready for opening. Makes sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salty Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Cracks me up that it is 86% complete - how can they arrive at such a precise figure? And 86% timewise, moneywise, constructionwise; accounting for employing staff, kitting out exractor vents in the kitchens, ........?Reminds me of Spock rating the Enterprises chances of surviving a particular disaster at 8.409% - ROUGHLY. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Forget the airport opening... What about the support road system! It doesn't look to me like it will be ready any time soon either.... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
udon Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Why am I not surprised..... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Waiting with the opening until the airport's finished makes good sense,but this is LOS and the PM is kh Toxin and he doesn't always make sense with the way he's running things here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendejo Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Perhaps if Khun Toxin spent more nights sleeping at the sight, maybe he could live in a tent Khadaffi-style..... Anyway, it's lie, it's only 85.9 percent ready Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qualtrough Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Talk about a timely post. I was just sitting in my yard under the flight path wondering how the new airport was coming along. Walked back in the house, poured myself a Coke, fired up the computer, and there in my inbox was a message telling me that it is at least another year. Oh well. I love TV forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_Pat_Pong Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Anyone surprised here? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Nope. Not a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ovenman Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Anyone surprised here? Nope. Not a bit. The only real surprise is that it took so long for the powers-that-be to finally 'fess up and admit that the airport wouldn't be ready in September 2005. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisP Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Anyone else noticed that Thai people love to bandy percentages around generally..?! ChrisP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ovenman Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Anyone else noticed that Thai people love to bandy percentages around generally..?! It would seem that 82.7% of all Thais like to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistaDorn Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 hmmmm, take a tour here then Suvarnabhumi Airport see the demo site of this airport na, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john b good Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 (edited) Cracks me up that it is 86% complete - how can they arrive at such a precise figure? And 86% timewise, moneywise, constructionwise; accounting for employing staff, kitting out exractor vents in the kitchens, ........?Reminds me of Spock rating the Enterprises chances of surviving a particular disaster at 8.409% - ROUGHLY. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It is clear that you have never had anything to do with a major construction project anywhere (other than perhaps looking through the hole in the fence) The use of and the quoting of a percentage is commonplace all around the world. It is not something exclusive to Thai's or Thailand. Indeed when push comes to shove, other than "som tum" there is not very much that is actually exclusive to the realm. I don't necessarily agree on the figure quoted simply because I don't know. But it is what it says it is (providing it is accurate) 86% complete. It has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with "timewise" Very often (and indeed in the vast majority of the cases) the last 10% to be completed takes much, much more than 10% of the overall time. Depending on the nature of the facility being constructed it could consume more than 50% of the time indeed, and there is an old adage in construction that "the final 10% of the work takes 90% of the time" This is not necessarily the case but it (the last 10%) takes a lote more than 10% of the time. And "no" it doesn't surprise me in the least that it will be six months late being completed. One of the features in the realm (not exclusively) is that for a variety of reasons the time published for completion of a project is very often under estimated / understated because this is more palatable to the people who are wanting a return on their investment. AND, I for one won't be surprised if it is not fully operational (100% complete) at the end of March 2006 Edited February 26, 2005 by john b good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeaceBlondie Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Hmm, I'm writing this 'novel' that occurs partially in Thailand, and both airports play a role in October 2006. I was going to have Suvarnabhumi open and Don Muang closed. Now I'll reverse it. Although the chances of my 'novel' even being completed are slim, yet alone being published, maybe it'll hit the bookstores before you or I land or take off at Suvarnabhumi. May we begin making jokes of the name Survarnabhumi, or does the name contain elements of the Royal Family's names? Oh, the airport's website has an entire section entitled, "Ease of Accessibility." In what decade might that be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xbusman Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Now there is a good subject for a betting pool, guess the date the new airport officially opens for daily business. I keep hearing from subcontractors on the project that it has a long long way to go. Major operational system designs have not been approved yet by the government, much less finalized and put out to bid. I just changed my address and it took two weeks of paperwork, I cant imagine what its like to design and procure a radar system for a major airport. I bet it opens in the last half of 2007 if there are no economic earthquakes. I think John B Good is spot on when he says that 90% of the work is in the last 10% of the project. Its really easy to pour concrete but sealing roofs and getting communications working can be a beast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve9145 Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Here we go again.......people in this forum having a swipe at the Thais !!!!! Very seldom are large projects finished on time anywhere in the world and its certainly common pratice in the uk to estimate completion by percentage. 86% may be a little precise but with the monies involved it may be relevant. We must remember, that at least for the moment the terminal has not collapsed, as happened at both Heathrow and Paris !!!!! We should not be critical for critisism sake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve9145 Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 sorry john b good I did not read your reply before i posted mine !!!!! but you said it better than me !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthsch Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 New Bangkok Airport To Operate March 2006; Delay 6 MonthsBANGKOK: -- State-owned Airports of Thailand PCL said late Friday that commercial operations at Bangkok's new international airport will begin in March 2006, six months later than its previously scheduled Sept. 29, 2005 opening. Srisook Chandrangsu, AOT's chairman, said construction of the Suvarnabhumi Airport would be completed by September, but it may take around six more months to test all the systems. "On Sept. 29, there will certainly be tests by aircraft," he said, referring to take-offs and landings. "However, we need to have tests of all systems. If we can complete all the tests sooner, it's possible that we may start commercial operation before March," Srisook said, responding to reporters questions. A source at AOT said overall construction work at the new airport is currently 86% complete. The new airport is designed to accommodate up to 45 million passengers a year. Italian-Thai Development PCL (ITD.TH), together with Japanese partners Takenaka Corp. (TNA.YY) and Obayashi Corp. (1802.TO), hold the contract to build the passenger terminal and concourse buildings of the airport. AOT operates five airports in Thailand, including Bangkok's existing international airport and the facility, officially called New Bangkok International Airport. --Yahoo News 2005-02-26 <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Hey Steve,you ought to hear what my (thai) wife has to say about thai efficency,she doesn't hold it very high. We're not in any way talking bad about the thais,,they are very good. We're just talking about the way some things are managed (or maybe the way they aren't managed). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foggy Bottom Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Here we go again.......people in this forum having a swipe at the Thais !!!!! Oh ye of short memory - what about Thaksin'd desk thumping declaration on TV in 2003 that it WOULD be open and operational by Easter 2005 (this year) - was all over the front pages for months. Now we know why thew papers have carried so little about it for the last 18 months. Yet another Thai Rak Thaksin broken promise ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penzman Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Look at it positively. At least we now know there's still a year ahead to add up further delays Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rinrada Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 I got a provisional flight reservation from London to Bangkok for 31st September so now gotta cancel. Getting silly,why can they stick to the dates promised. Will be looking for comp under the new Euro Rule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kido Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 It's not at easy as we though to run a new airport even Hongkie having system break down after 2 days grand opening in new airport. We hope it really run good and not like under ground train which have so many problems. Does AOT using Siemen train too?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkling Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 I believe it's better to wait with the opening until the airport is ready for opening. Makes sense? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Long Live Don Muang then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkling Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Cracks me up that it is 86% complete - how can they arrive at such a precise figure? And 86% timewise, moneywise, constructionwise; accounting for employing staff, kitting out exractor vents in the kitchens, ........?Reminds me of Spock rating the Enterprises chances of surviving a particular disaster at 8.409% - ROUGHLY. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It is clear that you have never had anything to do with a major construction project anywhere (other than perhaps looking through the hole in the fence) The use of and the quoting of a percentage is commonplace all around the world. It is not something exclusive to Thai's or Thailand. Indeed when push comes to shove, other than "som tum" there is not very much that is actually exclusive to the realm. I don't necessarily agree on the figure quoted simply because I don't know. But it is what it says it is (providing it is accurate) 86% complete. It has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with "timewise" Very often (and indeed in the vast majority of the cases) the last 10% to be completed takes much, much more than 10% of the overall time. Depending on the nature of the facility being constructed it could consume more than 50% of the time indeed, and there is an old adage in construction that "the final 10% of the work takes 90% of the time" This is not necessarily the case but it (the last 10%) takes a lote more than 10% of the time. And "no" it doesn't surprise me in the least that it will be six months late being completed. One of the features in the realm (not exclusively) is that for a variety of reasons the time published for completion of a project is very often under estimated / understated because this is more palatable to the people who are wanting a return on their investment. AND, I for one won't be surprised if it is not fully operational (100% complete) at the end of March 2006 <{POST_SNAPBACK}> As they say Rome wasn`t built in a day,but i wasn`t on that job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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