Cabinet approves Don Mueang Airport development project

Low cost airlines and domestic flights to move to Don Mueang Airport

CHONBURI, June 19 - The Cabinet agreed with Bangkok’s Don Mueang development project to alleviate congestion at Suvarnabhumi Airport, said Deputy Government Spokesman Chalitrat Chandrubeksa.

Suvarnabhumi Airport will be promoted as the regional aviation hub while Don Mueang Airport will serve low cost airlines and domestic flights to make the most of the two airports, the deputy spokesman said.

The prime minister ordered ministries and agencies concerned to improve the airport’s facilities for airlines voluntarily deciding to relocate their service to Don Mueang.

Suvarnbhumi Airport accommodates 47 million passengers per year. About 14 commercial airlines, including those offering charter flights, will move their bases to Don Mueang Airport.

Under the plan of the Airports of Thailand Pcl to improve Don Mueang Airport, about Bt1.6 billion will be spent on upgrading runways and other facilities.

The full complete service will officially start in October and will help reduce the passenger load at Suvarnabhumi Airport by 7-8 million people annually. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-06-19

DON MUEANG AIRPORT

Bt1.6bn budget endorsed for old airport renovation

The Nation

CHON BURI: -- The Cabinet today approved the budget of Bt1.6 billion to renovate the Don Mueang Airport, paving way for the reopening of the old airport for international flights. A number of 14 airlines are expected to operate at the old Bangkok airport, which will unofficially reopen in August and officially in October.

Under the budget requested by Airports of Thailand Plc, the airport operator, it will cover the improvement of east and west runway surface and infrastructure.

Deputy Government Spokesman Chalitrat Chandrubeksa said that after the renovation, Don Mueang will be ready for low-cost airlines and serve both domestic and point-to-point international flights.

"The prime minister has the policy to have two Bangkok airports as fully utilised as possible. Related ministries and agencies have also be prepared for the relocation of airlines to this airport," he said.

The 14 airlines to operate at the old airport operate both scheduled flights and chartered flights. Reopening Don Mueang Airport will help reduce the number of passengers at the new airport, Suvarnabhumi, by 7-8 million per annum.

Don Mueang suffered from high-level flood last year. Meanwhile, Suvarnabhumi Airport is now catering service beyond its capacity, when the number of passengers last year exceeded 46 million while its maximum capacity was 45 million per annum. The new airport is also now closing the east runway for maintenance, the first time since opening in 2006. Don Mueang has so far served domestic flights.

Reopening the old airport for international flights is one condition set by Thai AirAsia, the low-cost airline which is courted to move to Don Mueang to reduce congestion at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

CIMB Securities (Thailand) said in its research note, released today, that Thai AirAsia (which carried 8 million passengers last year) would join Nok Air (4 million passengers) at Don Mueang. Relocating low-cost airlines to the old airport should involve an incentive package, including discounts on landing and parking and rental charges.

-- The Nation 2012-06-19

Will Thai Air domestic flights also move to Don Mueang? Or, is this a way to help Thai Air compete against the likes of Air Asia by moving them to DM and making it more difficult for connecting flights? Exactly which airlines are moving? My wish is for all domestic flights to move to DM - would make my life easier flying in-country.

The worst is coming. What a bad decision. Time to sale my house, move definitively to Chiang Mai and never come back to BKK.

So when does the free, every 10 minutes shuttle bus start?

Edited June 19, 201214 yr by Lancashirelad

For every person inconvenienced by this move (if/when it happens) there will be another who welcomes it. The real story here is that Suwannaphum, planned and promoted as a single airport for Bangkok, clearly is already having trouble performing that role, never mind five or ten years into the future.

Seems quite short sighted considering they've announced no transport infrastructure in place to connect people for transfers between the airports. As if Bangkok needs another million passengers on the road each year clogging up the roads doing a Suvarnabhumi -> Don Mueang transfer! They desperately need a rail link. Is such a thing even possible though?

to alleviate congestion at Suvarnabhumi Airport

Surely they mean Suvarnabhumi King Power Shopping Centre.

So does that mean lower cost flights if the airlines are getting incentives.

Somehow I do not think so.

Brilliant that has just added an extra 3 hours to my traveling time when I fly from Phuket to the UK or NZ

.........Wait.........something is wrong here!...........This is far too logical a decision for Thailand!

If one uses Air Asia from Chiang Mai to Bangkok with a connecting flight with them or another carrier to another country Air Asia can sit back and watch their sales plummet. Hmmm,,,,. perhaps that was the end game.

Waiting for U-tapao to be redeveloped for charter airlines: common sense may finally prevail, but the Navy will want a cut of the action, along with Air Force at DM

So moving all domestic flights to DM is logical? An airport that was recently closed for months due to flooding? No way, it's mental..........and it will cause chaos.

They should try a novel idea.......they should have a think about, possibly, ehm, getting Swampy to work correctly??? That would be a start.

Not a big deal unless same day connections. I think you will find most will now do an overnight in Bangkok.

.........Wait.........something is wrong here!...........This is far too logical a decision for Thailand!

Hardly logical - it just pisses international travellers off, as they now have to travel across BKK to get a domestic flight!?

It may well benefit 'in-country' travel, but doesn't help anyone else.

And as mentioned above, it is probably a tactic to move Air-Asia away from Suvarnabhumi to help Thai Airways get a larger chunk of profits from people who don't have time to travel across town to catch a connecting flight.

Jokers...

Seems quite short sighted considering they've announced no transport infrastructure in place to connect people for transfers between the airports. As if Bangkok needs another million passengers on the road each year clogging up the roads doing a Suvarnabhumi -> Don Mueang transfer! They desperately need a rail link. Is such a thing even possible though?

Exactly! As long as there is no efficient transportation system between the 2 airports in place, this is a bad idea.

Since 8th of June:

ONOTAM A1825/12

A1825/12 NOTAMN

Q) VTBB/QMRXX/IV/NBO/A/000/999/1341N10045E005

A) VTBS 1206110000 C) 1208091000

E) TEMPORARILY PARTIAL RWY01R/19L CLSD DUE MAINT DETAILS ARE AS FLW:

1. RWY01R OPR AS NON-INSTRUMENT RWY

1.1 TRAFFIC PERMITTED : LANDING ONLY

1.2 WEATHER CONDITION : VMC

1.3 OPR HR : SUNRISE TO SUNSET

1.4 PAPI : ACTIVATED

1.5 DECLARED DISTANCES (M) ARE AS FLW

LDA : 1775M

TORA : NOT USABLE

TODA : NOT USABLE

ASDA : NOT USABLE

2. RWY19L OPR AS NON-INSTRUMENT RWY

2.1 TRAFFIC PERMITTED : TAKEOFF ONLY

2.2 OPR HR : 24HRS

2.3 PAPI : INACTIVATED

2.4 DECLARED DISTANCES (M) ARE AS FLW

TORA : 2000M

TODA : 2550M

ASDA : 2000M

LDA : NOT USABLE

2.5 RWY ENTRANCE : ACFT SHALL ENTER RWY19L VIA TWY B8

2.6 ACFT CODE ALLOWED FOR TAKEOFF : ACFT CODE C OR BELOW

RMK: AIRLINES SHOULD HAVE ADDN FUEL DUE POSSIBLE DLA

DIVERSION AND EMERG FLT ARE NOT SUITABLE TO LAND

DUE UNPREDICTABLE DLA.

EXTRA, PRIVATE AND PASSENGER CHARTER FLT ARE NOT ALLOWED

DUE LIMITED RWY CAPACITY.

EXTRA CARGO FLT CAN OPR DURING 2000-2300UTC

CREATED: 08 Jun 2012 09:27:00

SOURCE: VTBDYNYXne

Edited June 19, 201214 yr by Kripe

Nice one, Don Juan just down the road for me, no

need to endure the big airport experience just

to catch a local flight.

Anyone else here got a big affection for the Don,

happy mongering days and lots of never forget

you goodbyes......what were their names now.

Seems quite short sighted considering they've announced no transport infrastructure in place to connect people for transfers between the airports.

They will most likely promote the airport transportation system that Thaksin said was good enough for Suvarnabhumi, taxis.

I can already hear the Minister of Transportaion, "We don't need no stinking rail line.".

This decision was evident from the beginning, anybody with a brain already knew that it would happen.

Will Thai Air domestic flights also move to Don Mueang? Or, is this a way to help Thai Air compete against the likes of Air Asia by moving them to DM and making it more difficult for connecting flights? Exactly which airlines are moving? My wish is for all domestic flights to move to DM - would make my life easier flying in-country.

I would think that Thai Air would stay at the International Airport just as they did in the initial time.Airlines like Nok Air were operating out of DM.Hopefully Air Asia, Tiger and Jetstar will be operating out of DM as a result of this.

This will be a transfer nightmare in BKK for most travelers.

I am able to leave Chiang Mai at 2100 to catch a flight to Europe at midnight, if moved to DMK I'll have to add luggage collection, traffic jam, check in and would have to leave CNX in the afternoon.

I wonder if people are thinking before they propose changes.

One positive thing for Thailand though:

A few hundred jobs and additionlal income related to the transfer.

Not a big deal unless same day connections. I think you will find most will now do an overnight in Bangkok.

Hardly worth it and to be forced to do so is madness. Some will relish the excuse though !

My old flights from up country to Singapore were effortless, unless I specifically decided to go to Don Muang. Now what would be a rough 4 hour journey now involves traversing from Don Muang to Swampy, potentially at rush hour, in totally unpredictable traffic conditions and as such requires at least an additional 2 hour layover. Great news.

Seems a sensible solution to me, although, as others have said, the connections between the airports need to be much better than they are now.

This is the second time that this has been announced but it still hasn't happened yet. It makes sense to me to have a second airport in BKK with the queueing chaos at Suvernabhumi & runway maintenance which will probably be a continuous process there.

I hardly think the present government will penalise Air Asia in any way given the Shin investment in it. I do agree that a decent bus link (with a rail link later) is badly needed & maybe a helicopter link for the hi-so-and-sos.

A nice way to promote the airport link ..... and possibly launch an extension project to Don Muang allowing for even greater bribing prospects

What an absolutely reckless & stupid decision. This will no doubt damage tourism, due to restricted connections & doubtless more expensive flights out of Suvarnabhumi - now there'll be less competition.

For many like me, when returning to Thailand through Bangkok & having a connecting flight to Phuket, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui etc, if your flight arrives into Bangkok later than 5pm or 6pm, you're going to have to overnight in a hotel, as there's no way you're going to be able to get over to Don Muang to get a connecting flight in time!

Has anyone actually switched on their brain, to think of the true ramifications of this? Except for the one that the air force which runs Don Muang are going to get more money!?

I wonder why they do not open up U-Tapao as well many people would be just Pattaya bound or to the Islands

The prime minister ordered ministries and agencies concerned to improve the airport’s facilities for airlines voluntarily deciding to relocate their service to Don Mueang.

Best news in a long time. If I never see Swampy again it suits me fine, Maybe they will have time to finish Swampy now..........it always looked as if the interior was never completed to me