Chiang Mai Expands Airport

[Ricardo]

The airport terminal-building was already expanded a few years ago, the International-Departures lounge is massive, and I've never seen it anywhere close to busy, on my occasional visits to it.

But the International-Arrivals baggage-collection-area could perhaps be expanded, especially as Air Asia routes to China grow ??

A multi-storey car-park might be useful too.

There's ample space for expansion, and the runway is nowhere near capacity, as others have said.

Agree that a link (or links) to the hub-airports in the Middle-East might be useful for passengers connecting to/from Europe or Africa, meanwhile I'd see growth as mainly Domestic, with a little bit of regional & perhaps more holiday charter-flights from China/Japan/Korea/Taiwan ?

[hml367]

Living on the flight path I would love for the commercial traffic to go out of town but keep the one in town for military traffic, watching the F16's take off yesterday was awesome and there is some interesting traffic coming and going. I saw an old Thai Air Force DC3 amble in the other day (unfortunately had been re powered so now radial engine sound...) that's just me though.....

When the airport was built in the 50's your home was a rice field, no jet aircraft,you moved into the flight path with full knowledge. It's not the airport's fault that the city came to the flight path it was the silly buyers.

Where was the airport before the 50's ?

Regarding houses and flight paths.... how about the small group of two story houses at the south end of the runway and almost across from Big C? They look like they could be at least a little expensive.

[Lockheed]

But, you have to admit that it is a bit unnerving to see the planes coming in for a landing at 200mtrs above the Big C Hang Dong. Could be a recipe for a disaster................not to mention the noise factor for all the residential areas in that neighborhood. Glad I don't live there!

I was in Big C and heard them roaring overhead so I went to the footbridge and was watching them come in at about 5.00 pm, one after the other, a local was up there with his kid and he knew the schedule, wouldn't it be a sight from that bridge if they brought a C5 Galaxy in, that hauling beast has the best sounding engines. I'd live there any day if thats all that was flying, in and out.

If you want live time aircraft arrivals and departures, aircraft details, destination and departure airport arrival, height, speed etc etc then, check out

http://www.flightradar24.com/

One of my favourite apps....god knows how it works, I think it is just magic and voodoo at work,

Really handy when picking someone up from the airport as well!

Thanks for the app link, last year I was looking into the sky and saw this jet flying over Melbourne at cruising altitude and I said to the group of people that I was with, I wonder where that jet has come from because of it's height. One of the guys pulls out his Iphone and looks at an app, maybe the same one, and said it came from Christchurch in New Zealand and was going to Singapore. I thought what a strange way for it to be going. Anyway, one of the guys I work with is a commercial pilot and he said they need to fly within the radio controlled space and all the radio controlled areas in the world are linked to a central database in America I believe that's where this app data is coming from.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Lockheed

[Johpa]

The runway is fine, no need for a new airport on that score. The Air Force (Wing 41) should be selling their land and use the profits, less 20% of course to line their pockets, and relocate elsewhere, perhaps combine with the Army airfield in Mae Rim. That would allow plenty of room for terminal expansion and the much needed expansion of parking. And for those who don't fly international out of CNX, the international lounge is as packed in the evenings with the KAL flight and several Chinese operated charters and flights as is the domestic departure terminal all day long.

[Just1Voice]

My last 2 trips back to CM from the States, I routed EVA from LA to Singapore, then SILK from Singapore direct to CM, bypassing BKK entirely. Off the plane, 20 minute wait for luggage, and 5 min through Imm & Customs. So Sweet!

[Torrens54]

See this aircraft? That's right, it landed in Chiang Mai. I was shocked to see it parked there as I was taxiing in on a flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai in 1999. It also landed there during a one day round-the-world tour, arriving from Guam.

AFAIK, Concorde took a lot of runway...fully loaded, more than a 747-400, since its delta wing design produced little lift at low speeds and thus required a lot of air flowing over it to reach takeoff speed.

So CNX routinely lands 747-400s (although not fully loaded as that requires 10,000 feet at sea level and standard pressure), and has landed A380s and Concorde. But they need to extend the runway? Which Uncle Somchai will be getting that contract?

I was lucky enough to have flown on the BA Concorde. Will never forget it

[bigbamboo]

Living in CM this is an interesting thread.

Personally as someone who uses Heathrow and has to travel down to the New Forest area whenever I return to England I love the airport and how quickly I can be off the plane and through my front gates after a long journey. It could certainly take extra capacity and a few years ago the plan was to have the CM/Hang Dong road running through an underpass beneath the extended runway which would have allowed for long haul direct flights to Europe. That was when CM was being touted as a regional, ahem... hub.... but that dream disappeared around the same time as Thaksin did.

Edited January 24, 2014 by bigbamboo

[Maybole]

The limiting factor of any airport is usually the speed of handling of passengers. The terminal at CNX does need upgrading. A slick controller can handle up to 30 movements per hour on one runway provided he hasadequate taxiways. The problem comes from the spacing required due to Vortex Wake. CNX can handle more aircraft on its runway it is long enough and has clear areas at each end to allow for reduced climb in the event of an engine failure.