Suvarnabhumi Airport Congestion Eases

[webfact]

AVIATION

Suvarnabhumi Airport congestion eases

WATCHARAPONG THONGRUNG

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Flight congestion at Suvarnabhumi Airport will ease after the eastern runway returned to service at 11am yesterday for all types of planes except A380 super jumbos.

Anirut Thanomkulbutra, president of Airports of Thailand, said the repaving of the 870-metre northern tarmac of the eastern runway from Sections B6-B3 has been completed.

This was the first phase of the project to resurface the 1,620-metre northern section of the 4,000-metre eastern runway from June 11-August 9.

The eastern runway now has 3,250 metres for use.

The remaining 750 metres from Section B3 to the start of the runway would be ready on July 31, ahead of schedule. The repairing of the runway was only one of the factors that caused flight delays. About 23 per cent of 800 flights that took off and landed at Suvarnabhu-mi a day were held up for more than 15 minutes, he added.

Prajak Sajjasopon, president of the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand, said Suvarnabhumi was coping with peak traffic of 76 flights per hour before the runway was overlaid, but a limit of 68 flights per hour was enforced out of concern for noise pollution.

But during the work on the runway, the airport could handle only 37 flights per hour while 45-50 aircraft were arriving, leading to waits of 15 minutes to one hour and 20 minutes before touching down.

The situation would improve now that the first phase was done. Each flight would not be circling more than 30 minutes, he said.

Meanwhile, Suvarnabhumi Airport has seen its ranking among global airports slide from 13th in 2011 to the 25th in Skytrax's World's Best Airport Awards 2012. In the category of airports that accommodate 30 million to 50 million passengers per annum, it is ranked 10th, with Incheon International Airport in Korea holding the first ranking in both categories.

Ranked the world's second best airport, Changi Airport in Singapore is also expanding its capacity. It welcomed 20.6 million visitors in the first five months of the year and has been the most active in terms of tourist arrivals in Southeast Asia.

Changi may build two new passenger terminals at Changi Airport to cope with increasing demand. Bloomberg reported that the government plans to add 1,000 hectares to Changi, from 1,350 now. The airport started the 2036 Changi steering committee to cope with the traffic demand in the next 50 years, according to a fact sheet from the Ministry of Transport in March.

"Leading air hubs worldwide are upping their game, and are taking a long-term perspective to capacity building," it said in the fact sheet, citing expansion plans in markets like Hong Kong, South Korea and Dubai.

-- The Nation 2012-07-19

[webfact]

Suvarnabhumi Airport's eastern runway back in service

BANGKOK, July 19 - Suvarnabhumi Airport's 870 metre eastern runway was returned to service Wednesday, according to representatives of Airports of Thailand (AoT) and Aeronautical Radio of Thailand at a press conference held by the two organisations.

A 1.62km section of the runway has been closed for repairs since June 11.

Since opening today between 11am and 3pm, the eastern runway served over 20 flights. Almost all types of aircraft can take off from the runway, except the Airbus A380.

Flying Officer Anirut Thanomkulbutra, Airports of Thailand (AoT) president, believed the re-opening will help reduce and ultimately eliminate flight delays.

The AoT president assured the public that the runway repairs are expected to be completed July 31, ten days earlier than the originally scheduled Aug 9.

During the first week of eastern runway repairs at Suvarnabhumi, some 104 flights were delayed daily, with an average delay of 20-30 minutes for each flight.

Earlier this month, portions of the airport's western runway subsided by about 5cm deep and 60cm wide and long due to heavy use. During temporary repairs, 11 flights were redirected to other airports including Don Mueang and U-Tapao. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-07-19

[Colabamumbai]

They were concerned over "noise pollution" So flights were delayed in landing.

[humqdpf]

Flight delays are only part of the problem at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The other problem is the huge delays caused by immigration for foreign visitors, especially as they are trying to leave the country. The number of personnel and numbers of desks open at immigration (for foreigners leaving the country) is such that it can take between an hour and an hour and a half to get through. On at least two occasions I have almost missed my flight despite being at the check-in desk 2.5 hours ahead of takeoff.

In our organization we are now advising all our employees, associates, spouses etc to use other international hubs, such as KL, Kong Kong or Chiangi (Singapore) and to avoid Bangkok.

[SouthernMan3]

Flight delays are only part of the problem at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The other problem is the huge delays caused by immigration for foreign visitors, especially as they are trying to leave the country. The number of personnel and numbers of desks open at immigration (for foreigners leaving the country) is such that it can take between an hour and an hour and a half to get through. On at least two occasions I have almost missed my flight despite being at the check-in desk 2.5 hours ahead of takeoff.

In our organization we are now advising all our employees, associates, spouses etc to use other international hubs, such as KL, Kong Kong or Chiangi (Singapore) and to avoid Bangkok.

Hmmmm.

Never found this to be true.

Hope my luck holds out as I do it many times per year !

[GreenSnapper]

They were concerned over "noise pollution" So flights were delayed in landing.

I always thought Thai people become sick if there is no noise?

[Moruya]

They were concerned over "noise pollution" So flights were delayed in landing.

I always thought Thai people become sick if there is no noise?

Just when it rains.

[hp2184]

Flight delays are only part of the problem at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The other problem is the huge delays caused by immigration for foreign visitors, especially as they are trying to leave the country. The number of personnel and numbers of desks open at immigration (for foreigners leaving the country) is such that it can take between an hour and an hour and a half to get through. On at least two occasions I have almost missed my flight despite being at the check-in desk 2.5 hours ahead of takeoff.

In our organization we are now advising all our employees, associates, spouses etc to use other international hubs, such as KL, Kong Kong or Chiangi (Singapore) and to avoid Bangkok.

I think you have to be much earlier than 2.5 hours. Remember gate closes at least 30-45 minutes before take off. You have to queue up in the check in which could take sometime. Might as well check-in via the Internet.

I never had problems in the passport control and perhaps the longest time I had to wait to be stamped out was 15 minutes.

[LucidLucifer]

"Meanwhile, Suvarnabhumi Airport has seen its ranking among global airports slide from 13th in 2011 to the 25th in Skytrax's World's Best Airport Awards 2012"

Ouch.....I bet that hurts.....especially when

" Incheon International Airport in Korea holding the first ranking in both categories."

And,

"Ranked the world's second best airport, Changi Airport in Singapore is also expanding its capacity."

[Skywalker69]

Untill the next time the runways start cracking.

[candid]

I hear of the problems on the airport runways caused by being built on a swamp. Wasn't Changi built on land reclaimed from the sea? Should have thought that would have been hugely expensive compared to preparing swampland agequately for runway building

[PETERTHEEATER]

Today's Bangkok Post reports that a new third runway 4000 meters long will have a 76 centimetre top coat of bitumen. So on a hot sunny day when it's soft expect more than a few aircraft to get bogged down to the fuselage when landing and blocking the runway. More delays!

[Searat7]

A week or so ago it was stated that technical reasons in the control tower prevented full capacity from being reached. This week the reason given was noise pollution. Also it was disclosed that a huge amount of the budget for the third runway would be to pay local home owners. One would think that the noise pollution problem would have been completely addressed long ago but I guess not. I look forward to using Air Asia out of Don Muang.....just hope they will have adequate Immigration officers for international flights.

[londonthai]

huge delays caused by immigration for foreign visitors, especially as they are trying to leave the country. The number of personnel and numbers of desks open at immigration (for foreigners leaving the country) is such that it can take between an hour and an hour and a half to get through.

only some 1 month ago were introduced automatic gates for thai, before everybody was going through emigration in one line. At the beginning of this year there were delays both ways (no more than 30 minutes, especially on arrival - when several wide body airplanes landed at this same time), but it's sorted now. There is no any other practical way to come to bkk from abroad, as through swampy

[khaowong1]

I hear of the problems on the airport runways caused by being built on a swamp. Wasn't Changi built on land reclaimed from the sea? Should have thought that would have been hugely expensive compared to preparing swampland agequately for runway building

the keyword here is "Adequately". keep that in mind.

[Ricardo]

Earlier this month, portions of the airport's western runway subsided by about 5cm deep and 60cm wide and long due to heavy use. During temporary repairs, 11 flights were redirected to other airports including Don Mueang and U-Tapao. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-07-19

Only 11 flights were redirected, when the western runway subsided, before temporary repairs were completed ?

A cynic might almost surmise, that the subsidence had been anticipated, and the work-crew with a truck-load of tarmac are kept on permanent-standby, but that might imply substandard-construction in the first place, so couldn't possibly be true.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Ricardo