Korat Airport Fights For Survival

[george]

Provincial airport fights for survival

NAKHON RATCHASIMA: -- As the government proudly tests Suvarnabhumi airport this morning, it could spare a thought for officials in this northeastern province who would like their eight-year-old airport to survive.

The 400-million-baht airport was built under former prime minister Chatichai Choonhavan and opened in 1997 on an area of 4,635 rai that used to be part of the Nong Teng forest in tambon Tha Chang of Chalerm Phrakiat district.

Thai Airways International (THAI) once offered a regular service but shelved it after it lost too much money. Low-cost carrier Thai Air Asia had a Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima service with a promotional fare of 99 baht, but gave it up in July 2004.

The airport is about 30km from the heart of the province, which is the gate to the Northeast. Travellers can take Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima buses which leave every 10 minutes and take three hours.

Provincial authorities, the chamber of commerce and the airport wrote to the prime minister and the transport minister, asking them to get THAI to reintroduce its service, but they have not received replies.

Airport chief Vichien Pho-im said the airport served no commercial flights but handled a few flights a day for the private sector and state agencies.

--Bangkok Post 2005-09-29

[Sphere]

Travellers can take Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima buses which leave every 10 minutes and take three hours.

Taking a flight to Korat takes nearly 3 hours as well considering the waiting procedure at both ends. I would rather take the flexible road option than fly a low cost airline with possiblity of infinite delays.

[Gazza]

It would be interesting to see just how much money the other provincial airports are making.

It was reported years ago that top politicians were requesting certain airports to be built/opened that were coincidentally, in the very same province that the politician was from.

I was glad that Chavalit Yongchaiyudh was from Nakhon Phanom because it meant that I didn't have to do anymore long overnight coach trips to or from NKP. I didn't care whether the airport was running at a profit or loss. I'm sure Chavalit didn't either.

And where was Chatichai Choonhaven from I wonder?

[ovenman]

Using an example from the United States: I doubt that anybody really needs to fly from Detroit to Toledo, Ohio or vice-versa (a distance of 80 km, much less than Bangkok-Khorat). Northwest Airlines however, offers this very service a half-dozen times per day in each direction using small planes. These flights are generally full, often overbooked. These short flights are timed to allow passengers an easy connection with other flights at Northwest's hub operation in Detroit. The short feeder flight to/from Toledo avoids having all passengers travel to Detroit and its busy airport.

Until Thailand can offer, or has a need to offer, such feeder service at small airports that are located close to Bangkok such as Nakhon Ratchasima, these airports are destined to be money-losing failures. THAI uses Bangkok as a hub considering that most of its flight originate or terminate in BKK, but they do not operate a true hub-and-spoke system in the sense that flight schedules are coordinated to provide relatively seamless connecting service to nearby or onwards destinations. The airport in Khorat will never survive if it has to rely solely on point-to-point traffic to/from Bangkok.

[ovenman]

It would be interesting to see just how much money the other provincial airports are making.

It was reported years ago that top politicians were requesting certain airports to be built/opened that were coincidentally, in the very same province that the politician was from.

Such a report ran in the Bangkok Post a while back. Nakhon Ratchasima was the top money-loser. I don't recall all of the others in the list of ten but I do remember that Trang was hugging the bottom (an airport built while hometown boy Chuan was PM). I guess Banharn wasn't Prime Minister long enough for an airport to get planned and built in Suphanburi!

[Foggy Bottom]

It would be interesting to see just how much money the other provincial airports are making.

It was reported years ago that top politicians were requesting certain airports to be built/opened that were coincidentally, in the very same province that the politician was from.

Such a report ran in the Bangkok Post a while back. Nakhon Ratchasima was the top money-loser. I don't recall all of the others in the list of ten but I do remember that Trang was hugging the bottom (an airport built while hometown boy Chuan was PM). I guess Banharn wasn't Prime Minister long enough for an airport to get planned and built in Suphanburi!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have always wondered about the lunacy theat has prevented someone realising that a service from Chiangmai to Khorat or Udon would be a winner.

The bus journey to/from Khorat from up here is 11 - 13 hours depending on service and take longer than similar services to/from Bangkok - either destination is a real "bum-number" and spine wrecker on those seats designed for Thai physiques.

[ovenman]

I have always wondered about the lunacy theat has prevented someone realising that a service from Chiangmai to Khorat or Udon would be a winner.

Orient Thai flew Chiang Mai-Udon Thani back around 1995 (I think they also flew to Ubon Ratchathani as well). They got drummed out of business due to noises being made about their operation being unsafe. No actual safety-related incidents ever occurred to the best of my knowledge. The real problem was that a certain, shall we say government-connected, airline was unhappy about any potential competition for itself within Thailand when such competition was considered somewhat unpatriotic.

Bottom line: if these airports were not all run by Airports of Thailand and each had to function like an actual business, the airport operators would themselves be trying to drum up business. They could suggest routes, offer incentives to carriers, etc. in an attempt to attract new business. Whining to the prime minister, transportation minister is the wrong approach.

[Diablo Bob]

Using an example from the United States: I doubt that anybody really needs to fly from Detroit to Toledo, Ohio or vice-versa (a distance of 80 km, much less than Bangkok-Khorat).  Northwest Airlines however, offers this very service a half-dozen times per day in each direction using small planes. These flights are generally full, often overbooked.  These short flights are timed to allow passengers an easy connection with other flights at Northwest's hub operation in Detroit.  The short feeder flight to/from Toledo avoids having all passengers travel to Detroit and its busy airport.

Until Thailand can offer, or has a need to offer, such feeder service at small airports that are located close to Bangkok such as Nakhon Ratchasima, these airports are destined to be money-losing failures.  THAI uses Bangkok as a hub considering that most of its flight originate or terminate in BKK, but they do not operate a true hub-and-spoke system in the sense that flight schedules are coordinated to provide relatively seamless connecting service to nearby or onwards destinations.  The airport in Khorat will never survive if it has to rely solely on point-to-point traffic to/from Bangkok.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ovenman, Good point. I do think that the traveler demographics here in Thailand is significantly different than in the USA. Where our country is a conglomeration of business hubs requiring people to travel great distances, here in Thailand the only main business hub is Bangkok (Very similar to Mexico City). The typical traveler here in Thailand is either going to Bangkok or returning from Bangkok.

On another note, the closing of Korat coupled with the closing of Buriram leaves what in Southern Issan, Ubon & Surin (Maybe). Now I am looking at a 6-7 hour train ride if I want to take my family to Buriram. This pretty much kills returning for the weekend from Chiangmai.

The airlines should consider linking routes such as Ubon-Buriram-Bangkok or Roi-Et -Korat-Bangkok. While the cost will rise to the additional landing fees, it would also enable the services to continue. Lets face it, most of the people flying will not be hard pressed to pay an addtional 500THB for a ticket. They just want the service.

[ovenman]

On another note, the closing of Korat coupled with the closing of Buriram leaves what in Southern Issan, Ubon & Surin (Maybe). Now I am looking at a 6-7 hour train ride if I want to take my family to Buriram. This pretty much kills returning for the weekend from Chiangmai.

If the State Railway of Thailand could double-track the mainline, run faster trains and cut a couple hours off the rail journey, those lower Isaan routes would be competitive time-wise with flying (once you factor in the time that one wastes in the airport at either end).

[Heng]

I guess Banharn wasn't Prime Minister long enough for an airport to get planned and built in Suphanburi! 

He probably built up Suphan more than any other politician has built up his home province though. I'd say you can ask just about anyone in Suphan, and they'd answer that they regard him as a hero (as opposed to accusing him of doing it for personal gain). Perhaps only Samutprakarn's MPs have been more successful in bringing wealth to their province.