Ministry Pledges To Ease Suvarnabhumi Airport Congestion

[webfact]

Ministry pledges to ease Suvarnabhumi Airport congestion

BANGKOK, March 14 - Deputy Transport Minister Chatchart Sittipan promised on Wednesday that the ministry would speed up efforts to ease congestion at Suvarnabhumi Airport which caused delays and inconvenience for outbound passengers.

The minister conceded that the country's main airport has exceeded its original capacity of 45 million passengers a year, and that both short and long-term solutions would be introduced to ease congestion there.

Mr Chatchart said the possible solution envisages using the full potential of Don Mueang Airport, the country's second largest airport.

AirAsia, the no-frills airline, is reportedly interested in shifting its operations from Suvarnabhumi to Don Mueang, Mr Chatchart said. The ministry would ask the Airports of Thailand (AOT) to negotiate business agreements with the airline in an investment plan to renovate the airport's passenger Terminal 2 to accommodate future services.

To do away with long queues of outbound passengers at Suvarnabhumi due to a shortage of immigration staff, he said new technology such as scanners for electronic passport will be installed as a short-term measure to facilitate the passengers and help ease the congestion to some extent.

The minister however conceded some problems remain to be solved such as delayed baggage delivery.

Meanwhile, second phase construction of Suvarnabhumi Airport extension to accommodate 75-100 million passengers a year could take at least five years, he said. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-03-14

[hands22]

"AirAsia, the no-frills airline, is reportedly interested in shifting its operations from Suvarnabhumi to Don Mueang, Mr Chatchart said."

Please say it ain't true! I have 6 bookings with AirAsia (I fly to Bkk every month) and I really prefer Suvarnabhumi to DM.

[melvinmelvin]

The ministry chap addresses baggage handling and outgoing pax,

he doesn't mention incoming pax, hmmm..

[saengsureeya]

"AirAsia, the no-frills airline, is reportedly interested in shifting its operations from Suvarnabhumi to Don Mueang, Mr Chatchart said."

Please say it ain't true! I have 6 bookings with AirAsia (I fly to Bkk every month) and I really prefer Suvarnabhumi to DM.

Amazing..........and International AirAsia flights don't need immigration-officers at DM?