View Full Version : AoT/SBIA:Partial runway closure
<This is an imported thread from the previous 2B forum discussing the new airport construction photos (http://angkor.com/2bangkok/sbia/construction.shtml)>
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Wisit , USA 6
08-10-2003 03:24 PM ET (US)
Domestic and International flights should be operated from the new airport. To do otherwise, it will present a great inconvenience to the majority of the passengers.
Donmuang can be used by Thai Royal Airforce until the increase in Domestic flights warrants a separate airport.
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Ron Morris 5
08-06-2003 07:49 AM ET (US)
Nothing is decided about what Don Muang will be... There is great resistance to having domestic flights there. The presentation I saw at the NBIA building onsite claimed the airport would handle 45 million passengers, but also had a photo of the Iraqi Information Minister saying "the airport is on schedule--there are no problems."
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jpatokal 4
08-06-2003 07:14 AM ET (US)
But Don Muang will continue to operate at least domestic flights, yes? So the capacity will be split between the two.
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Wisarut 3
08-06-2003 05:32 AM ET (US)
Initially, NBIA has been designed to carry 30 Million Passengers a year. However, as the NBIA has been delayed for many years, Donmuang Airport is now carrying about 40 million Passengers a year, thus, NBIA MUST be redesigned to ensure that it can receive 45 Million passengers year without problems.
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ducky454 2
08-06-2003 04:15 AM ET (US)
yes this looks qute big, annybody knows how many passengers estimated to and from the airport ewery year?
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JJJ 1
08-05-2003 07:24 PM ET (US)
Wow, it looks awesome! Can't wait to see when it's finished.
so the domestic and internation will be in the same terminal, huh. i wonder how they will be separated?
I like the design though. Hopefully, all the roads and other facilities will be completed in time.
Well, I guess, you all heard of the tragedy (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040524/ts_afp/france_air_accident_040524061250) at the Charles de Gaulle Airport (http://www.adp.fr/webadp/a_cont01_an.nsf/$$Affich@ReadForm&cle=X500.html) in Paris where a walkway in its brand new Terminal2E collapsed over the weekend.
Call me crazy, but this walkway hauntingly reminds me of the design our new airport, especially the concourse shown on this 2b's February 9, 2004 - CONSTRUCTION AT THE SUVANABHUMI AIRPORT page (http://www.2bangkok.com/2bangkok/sbia/feb04/feb04.shtml), with metal frames, glass roof and all.
I hope this will never happen to ours...
We can never be too sure but I am pretty confident something like this will not happen in Suvarnabhumi.
In fact, many new airports have designs like this. Take for instance, Dubai International Airport's Sheik Rashid Terminal.
The French tragedy was hopefully a once-off event that will not occur again.
On its official website, click here (http://www.suvarnabhumiairport.com/demo/en/3d1en.php) :)
Nice! The comparison between the A380 and B747 alone is amazing.
And in this one:
3D presenting connective flow of Underground Train Station (Passenger Terminal Facilities)
that Automated People Mover (APM) between the northern and southern terminal buildings pops up again..... on the other hand, they have no visualization of the Airport Express Station........
Suvarnabhumi Maps in the 'Maps & GPS' Subforum:-
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=3788&postcount=1
New Bangkok International Construction Site. It looks like the Eastern runway still has a way to go. Maybe the experts can gauge from this how long ago this Sat was taken:-
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ll=13.689021,100.749435&spn=0.057991,0.080561&t=k&hl=en
Present Bangkok International:-
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ll=13.927069,100.598717&spn=0.115864,0.161121&t=k&hl=en
jpatokal
08-04-06, 04:41 PM
From http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=7979:
The Suvarnabhumi Airport, designed to replace Bangkok's ageing Don Muang Airport, is estimated to make a Bt17 billion revenue this year.
Part of its revenue would come from its transport safety center which would open around the clock for domestic and foreign passengers to call at 02-535-1666 and obtain safety and travelling information during the forthcoming Songkran festival from April 13-17, said the AOT chief.
Revenue from traffic safety information? How does that work? :confused:
Here's where we can all post information on problems that are arising on the opening day of Suwannapoom International Airport, and beyond opening day ...... : -
Computer glitches mar first full day at new Bangkok airport
Passengers at Bangkok's new international airport Thursday faced delays in collecting their bags and checking in on the first full day of operations because of computer and mechanical glitches.
Thousands of passengers arriving on the first flights had to wait one hour to collect their bags as equipment was slow in arriving from the old airport, which closed during the night.
"The delay was caused by the delay of moving Thai Airways ground handling equipment from the old airport to the new one," said Chotisak Asapaviriya, president of Airports of Thailand, which operates the facility.
"It's just a minor error, and it will be the only one. We will never let this happen again," he said.
But at Thai Airways check-in counters, computers crashed before the first flights out of the new Suvarnabhumi Airport, causing delays as airline workers had to issue handwritten boarding passes and baggage claim tags.
That left long lines, but many passengers seemed prepared for delays on the first full day of operations, when some 800 flights will fly through.
"Today is the first day, so we don't expect anything to go well," said Paul Millar, a 46-year-old Briton who works in Bangkok.
"Fortunately we arrived early just in case," he said.
Agence France-Presse
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30014860
Evicted want VIP cards
People who once owned land now occupied by Suvarnabhumi Airport have asked for VIP cards giving them entry to the airport compound and access to all special events there including today, the first day of the airport's full operation, as a reward for their sacrifice.
"If our parents did not allow our land to be expropriated, you would not have this today," said Chuan Klamwhao.
Chuan said the VIP card would strengthen the relationship between the airport authorities and the villagers. He said after Airports of Thailand (AOT) succeeded in grabbing the land he and his brother inherited from their parents a decade ago, the AOT never talked to him and other villagers again.
Though the airport made Chuan's life worse - he has not been able to generate the kind of income he previously earned - he is still glad his plot was part of the "pride of the nation".
Last year when ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and other Cabinet members took the first flight from Suvarnabhumi, Chuan wanted to watch and decided to walk in. However, it was not so easy.
"I was upset when a guard asked for a permit. Why did I need permission to see what was happening on land that once was mine?" he said.
Chuan was not the only villager left with a worse life. Thithawat Kaewchuang, chief administrator of Nong Prue Tambon Administrative Organisation, said many villagers had stopped running their own businesses to becoming daily workers.
Before becoming an airport, almost 20,000 rai of Nong Ngu Hao, or cobra swamp, was full of fish, water mimosa ponds and mango orchards. Swang Meeboonrod, 57, once farmed water mimosa from a three-rai-pond. She now collects water mimosa from another villager's pond, earning just Bt160.
"I have made a living from water mimosa farming for a long time. It is the only skill I have. I could not switch to any other job," she said.
Pennapa Hongthong
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/28/national/national_30014840.php
I'm not really sure what it is the residents expect the AOT Director to do about this. Maybe they would be better offering free Bed & Breakfast to the politicians who dreamed this one up, if they can coax any of them back from their current self-imposed exile: -
SUVARNABHUMI
Just listen to our noisy nightmare
[Picture Unavailable here]
As a jet flies low over her house yesterday, Wanida Sanwanitchpattana complains about noise pollution from the new airport.
As airport opens today, resident challenges director to pay a visit
Fifty-year-old Wanida Sanwanitchpattana wants to invite Suvarnabhumi Airport director Somchai Swasdipol to spend a night at her place. Free room and board, nice breakfast included.
Sound generous? Maybe, but Wanida has an ulterior motive.
"I want him to know what one jet plane after another diving down from the sky sounds like," said Wanida, whose two-storey home sits right next to the fence surrounding Suvarnabhumi Airport. "He said on TV that he has done his best to resolve all of the problems affecting the surrounding communities. I haven't seen the shadow of a single airport official since construction started."
To some people, the official opening of Suvarnabhumi Airport may bring with it a sense of relief or delight. To others, it might even be a dream come true. But to Wanida and thousands of other families living under the airport's flight path, the dawn opening will seem more like a nightmare.
Wanida had her first taste of deafening jet noise on September 15, when Thai Airways ran 12 domestic flights to and from Suvarnabhumi. People inside her house had to stop whatever conversations they were having. Phone calls were cut short, and TVs went mute.
Since that day, Wanida has not had a moment of peace because of the 20 or so flights that pass above her roof each day. From today onward, however, the Airports of Thailand expects to operate as many as 76 flights per hour.
"I learnt that my house is in the flight path [two weeks ago], after the soft opening [of the airport]. Nobody informed me before," she said.
Moo Baan Romreudee, where Wanida lives, is one of two housing estates that almost every aircraft has to fly over before landing. While many people have eagerly awaited the landing of Lufthansa freighter LH 8442, the very first flight to land at the new airport, marking the beginning of full-scale operations today, Wanida has dreaded the moment. After LH 8442, 649 more flights will land and take off from Suvarnabhumi Airport today.
"I really don't want the day to come," said Wanida. "Even these days, when the airport is not yet fully operational, I cannot sleep well because aircraft pass right over the roof of my house."
Adding insult to in jury, the heavy rains of the past few days have brought floodwaters right up to the doorsteps of many of the homes in the estate, including Wanida's. Until last year, flooding had never been a problem.
Wanida said that if possible, she wanted the Airports of Thailand (AOT) to expropriate her two-story house and 50 square wah of land, saying she could not bear to stay there much longer.
"If the AOT improved my house so that it could resist the noise, I doubt I would be able to afford the air conditioning bills because we would have to leave it on the whole day [because the windows would have to stay shut]," she said.
When The Nation visited this housing estate on Rom Klao Road on Tuesday, residents still had no idea who would be able to solve all the problems that had come with the new airport. Some point out last year, representatives of a consultant company visited to survey the communities surrounding the airport. That was the first and the last chance residents had to actually talk in person with someone representing the airport.
However, as Wanida pointed out, no one was able to report any problems because they had not experienced any at that stage. All the people could do was voice their concerns about the possibility of noise pollution.
The residents of the housing estate stood with their feet almost inundated by the floodwater that was gradually seeping from a waste-water drainage pipeline. Klong Sam Prawet, which runs near their community, has flooded all the roads it runs through.
Suradej Benjathikul, Wanida's neighbour, said this year was the second year that Romreudee housing estate had been flooded with water from Klong Sam Prawet. Suradej said the water flowed more quickly through the klong before the new airport was built.
Though construction on the airport began in 2002, it was not until late 2004 that the 20,000-rai Nong Ngu Hao swamp was fully reclaimed. Paijen Maksuwan, director of the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) which tried to build an irrigation system to prevent flooding around the airport, said that about 20,000 rai of flood-retention area had disappeared beneath Suvarnabhumi. The 78-metre-wide and 12-km-long irrigation canal will not be complete until mid-2008.
"During the construction period, the [flooding] situation could not be helped," he said.
The inauguration today of the new airport might strike some as a moment of national pride, but for the airport's neighbours, like Suradej and Wanida, today marks the day when their quality of life takes a nose-dive.
"Come back and let me know who can help us," Wanida said.
Pennapa Hongthong
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/28/headlines/headlines_30014842.php
TV Channel 3 is actually showing pictures of buckets deployed to deal with a few roof leaks. It seems there has been some rain this morning.
They are also complaining about the lack of toilets.
If you are looking for a memento of the airport's opening, or a wallchart for the kids: -
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?p=11556#post11556
mdechgan
28-09-06, 04:35 PM
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/28/national/national_30014840.php
Now who does this guy think he is? Mr. Thaksin or something?
So let say I sell my land and Bangkok Bank decided to build a branch on it.
So do I have the right to tell security "Hey let me in the vault, I use to own this land, I wanna see the vault"
Its not like the government just took his land without compensation.
Oh please.
mdechgan
28-09-06, 04:38 PM
I'm not really sure what it is the residents expect the AOT Director to do about this. Maybe they would be better offering free Bed & Breakfast to the politicians who dreamed this one up, if they can coax any of them back from their current self-imposed exile: -
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/28/headlines/headlines_30014842.php
Uhm excuse me, you are located next to an airport.
If we move the airport would that make you personally feel better?
If not then I suggest you take your complaints to Boeing or Airbus to make quiter planes. Or better yet. Take your complaint to Thai Airways and tell them they can land only if they turn off the engines.
Yes, I admit I have also been having a few slightly irreverent thoughts about these complaints myself. Something along the lines of "I wonder how the folks North & South of Don Muang have coped with it all for so long". It might even account for some of the strange behavior of the long-term Wat Dhammakaya inhabitants.They'll probably also be complaining, that they've got so used to aircraft noise that they now have nothing to lullaby themselves off to sleep. Truthfully, many folks feel lonely if they don't have their full complement of noise pollution.
But then again, I believe this flooding has been worsened by the airport. As the report says, the drainage works (necessary after infilling so much low-lying land) are not yet finished. I saw some TV footage of this with Apirak bimbling around looking concerned. Two meters deep in some places if I heard correctly: -
Bangkok hit with floods
Various spots of the eastern Bangkok had been submerged prompting Royal Irrigation Department chief to urged officials to keep drain into the Bang Pakong River and the Gulf of Thailand.
Samart Chokkanapitak said Thursday that although some areas would suffer blockage floods, the newly opened Suvarnabhumi Airport would not be affected. Following the airport's opening, the department would soon excavate 17 canals in the eastern Bangkok to increase its water-draining ability.
Samart also insisted the high sea tides and the northern floodwater passing through Chao Phraya River at 2,423 cubic metres per second would not submerge Bangkok. "The only factor that can cause flooding is heavy rainfall," he said.
Bangkok's Srinakharin, Pattanakarn and Ramkhamhaeng roads were kneedeep in water after Wednesday night's heavy downpours.
Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin, who yesterday morning inspected the routes said officials worked had hard to drain floodwaters out of the areas and the situation should be back to normal by late afternoon Friday.
The Nation
mdechgan
28-09-06, 09:33 PM
Yes, I admit I have also been having a few slightly irreverent thoughts about these complaints myself. Something along the lines of "I wonder how the folks North & South of Don Muang have coped with it all for so long". It might even account for some of the strange behavior of the long-term Wat Dhammakaya inhabitants.They'll probably also be complaining, that they've got so used to aircraft noise that they now have nothing to lullaby themselves off to sleep. Truthfully, many folks feel lonely if they don't have their full complement of noise pollution.
But then again, I believe this flooding has been worsened by the airport. As the report says, the drainage works (necessary after infilling so much low-lying land) are not yet finished. I saw some TV footage of this with Apirak bimbling around looking concerned. Two meters deep in some places if I heard correctly: -
I think the flooding is a real problem that will last forever in the forseeable future. The main problem? The airport was built in the wrong place. There wasn't enough geographical studies done before the airport sight was hastenly chosen. The runway is something like 3' below sea level.
The place was built on a swamp.
There was a study done that to alleviate the flooding that concluded billions must be spend on a canal drainage system.
'Nation' extracts: -
Lost baggage, crashed computer check-in systems, shouting passengers - AOT calls opening day a '75% success'
It took the Korean visitors three hours to get their luggage, and they left no one in doubt as to their displeasure. A computer system crash forced staff into the unfamiliar role of manually checking-in passengers. Then more bags were lost and a scrum formed around the "Lost and Found" office. Flights were delayed time and again. Snafu was the order of the day.
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"We are 75 per cent satisfied," Chotisak Asapaviriya, president of Airports of Thailand Plc, said yesterday. "There were some minor problems that have upset us."
At 11am, the centralised check-in system crashed, first paralysing 11 counters of Thai Airways International and later spreading to 13 counters of Nok Air and some international airlines.
Ground staff resorted to using computer notebooks and filling out boarding passes by hand.
According to reports, many passengers on a variety of flights waited for at least two hours to get their luggage. Over 100 visitors from Incheon, arriving on flight OX301, vented their anger at Thai Airways International's counters. They shouted at THAI ground agents when three hours passed and still their luggage had not appeared.
Passengers on other flights encountered similar problems. Those on TG343 from Jakarta also waited for three hours. TG 917 from London landed at 3pm and the designated carousel was empty until 5pm. To the dismay of first-class passengers, they retrieved their belongings at the same time as economy-class travellers.
"The Lost and Found counter was flooded with complaints," said a ground officer who asked not to be named.
"Passengers of airlines including THAI and Aerosvit Airlines faced the same problem," said one AOT official.
.....
AOT's Chotisak said it took time for ground crews to transfer bags from planes to conveyer belts due to the delay in the relocation of baggage handling equipment from Don Muang to Suvarnabhumi. THAI supplies the AOT with the baggage-handling equipment.
A fierce overnight storm had thrown THAI's schedule for its migration programme completely out of whack. As of 7am, only 80 per cent of the removal was complete.
"The conveyor system functioned well, but there was a problem transferring luggage from the aircraft to the conveyor belts because baggage lorries had not arrived [from Don Muang]," Chotisak said. "This is a minor problem and will not happen again once the transition period is over."
About 200 suitcases were also found left behind at the airport after some THAI flights took off for domestic and international destinations.
THAI president Apinan Sumanaseni was sure that his airline's system functioned well, but the problem could lie with the baggage handling system, which is under AOT's supervision.
"We are contacting the bag owners to send them their belongings. This is a big blunder happening at THAI," he said.
Somchai Swasdipol, director of Suvarnabhumi Airport, said AOT is investigating the matter. The bungling could have arisen from the slow transfer of luggage rather than any trouble with the actual baggage handling system, he said.
The botched baggage handling was partially attributable to flights arriving late. About 17 flights were overdue, 45 minutes in the worst case. Most departing passengers anticipated the delay and arrived at the airport well in advance.
The first commercial flight to alight at Suvarnabhumi was also 20 minutes behind schedule. Flying from Kiev, the Aerosvit Airlines plane landed at 4.30am, instead of the original time of 4.10am. It landed at the same time as an EVA Airways flight from Amsterdam.
"Aerosvit's flight was delayed at the originating port, not because of technical problems at Suvarnabhumi," the AOT official said.
.....
Aerosvit Airlines also operated the first flight from Suvarnabhumi. Bound for Kiev, it left at 5.40am. It took four minutes for each passenger to check in, instead of the normal two minutes at Don Muang, as staff needed time to get used to the new IT system.
Cathay Pacific also operated a flight from Hong Kong, but with only a 55-per-cent load factor rather than the usual 80 per cent.
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/29/headlines/headlines_30014935.php
Airport traffic gridlocked
While plane departures and arrivals were running smoothly at Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday, down on the ground it was a different story with traffic around the vast site moving at a snail's pace.
Security guards at the new airport, which began full services yesterday, blamed the traffic snarls on confusing traffic signs and people's reluctance to use public transport.
"The traffic was jammed. Limousines, taxis and personal vehicles were all in the same lanes," one unnamed security guard said.
He said people complained incessantly about the traffic because many areas in the new airport compound remained under construction.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/29/national/national_30014943.php
Yes, I admit I have also been having a few slightly irreverent thoughts about these complaints myself. Something along the lines of "I wonder how the folks North & South of Don Muang have coped with it all for so long". It might even account for some of the strange behavior of the long-term Wat Dhammakaya inhabitants.They'll probably also be complaining, that they've got so used to aircraft noise that they now have nothing to lullaby themselves off to sleep. Truthfully, many folks feel lonely if they don't have their full complement of noise pollution.
The captain who was to fly Thai Airways International's last flight from Don Muang to Shanghai gave a message to residents near Suvarnabhumi.
He said his house is near Don Muang. At first, he was sleepless because of the noise, but after 20 years, he could not sleep without the familiar roar of aircraft.
"To residents near Suvarnabhumi, in the first stage you could be annoyed by the noise, but after a few days you will get used to it. Soon you will not be able to sleep without it," he said, in a voice that sang with pride at the opening of the sleek new complex.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/29/business/business_30014907.php
TV Channel 3 is actually showing pictures of buckets deployed to deal with a few roof leaks. It seems there has been some rain this morning.
They are also complaining about the lack of toilets.
But not all local TV channels were that critical:-
it was good to know that some television channels were upbeat with the airport opening. ModerNine was the first to air special coverage, which started with a farewell at Don Muang and live photos from Suvarnabhumi. Once again, iTV deserves praise for its more extensive coverage and unbiased approach.
Our insider in MCOT, which operates ModerNine, said that it was because Airports of Thailand, which operates Suvarnabhumi Airport, is one of the company's clients, and under the advertising contract, ModerNine is obliged to "overlook" any negative news about the airport.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/29/business/business_30014907.php
Scuba22
29-09-06, 09:12 AM
"confusing traffic signs and people's reluctance to use public transport."
""The traffic was jammed. Limousines, taxis and personal vehicles were all in the same lanes," "
What? People not obeying traffic signs and wanting to use their own cars? In Bangkok? Unbelievable!!!!
" under the advertising contract, ModerNine is obliged to "overlook" any negative news about the airport."
Damn. So much for objective news coverage.
It could have been much worse. And apparently today is better: -
Thai Airways sacks executive over luggage mess at new airport
Flag carrier Thai Airways International Plc said Friday it has sacked an executive over hours-long luggage delays on the opening day of Bangkok's new international airport.
"The luggage problem was caused by internal management disorders at Thai Airways. We have already sacked a top person in charge of handling luggage," airline president Apinan Sumanaseni told.
Suvarnabhumi airport officially opened on Thursday, with more than 800 flights carrying 120,000 travellers passing through the glitzy three-billion-dollar airport on the first day.
However, the new airport was flooded with complaints from disgruntled international passengers who had to wait for hours to collect their luggage.
Airports of Thailand, which operates Suvarnabhumi, blamed Thai Airways for causing long delays.
"Luggage handling equipment from Thai Airways did not arrive on time and some luggage handlers from the airline did not even show up at the airport," said Chotisak Aspaviriya, president of the airport operator.
"The airline must look after problems for passengers," he said.
The general manager of Suvarnabhumi, Somchai Sawasdeepon, said all operations, including luggage handling, went smoothly on Friday.
"So far we have smooth operations on the second day. To me, the disorders seen yesterday (Tuesday) were normal and acceptable for a new airport," Somchai said.
The airline's chief, Apinan, also said he received no reports of problems on Friday when another 800 flights were expected to pass through.
Agence France-Presse
Look like the hi-tech that they afraid to make failure didnot really failed but cause of Lo-tech and human-error??
I would agree that what they say "200 baggages" compare to 120,000 passengers in the first day would not be an unacceptable for the new airport.
Remember the early day at chek lap kok, there also some baggage handling problem.
More 'First Day Flyer' comment: -
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/10/01/national/national_30015084.php
Airfreight Computer Glitches on Day Three: -
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/10/01/national/national_30015085.php
jerryfin
01-10-06, 03:18 PM
On 28th I noticed some confusion about which door international arrivals would emerge from and so I went back yesterday to check again. The arrival flight detail is the same on the big boards over the arrival doors B and C and not specific to each door. Neither boards here or elsewhere in the airport show which baggage belt is applicable for which flight. If you knew the baggage belt number, you could estimate which exit door the passenger would use. There is a considerable distance between the two doors and so it is impossible to watch both doors if meeting some one. So I asked a knowledgeable lady with a radio and she directed me to the Information counter. At the counter it was very crowded with people asking the same question but along the front of the counter was pasted a line of 16 sheets of A4 hand-written paper showing flight numbers, baggage belts and exit doors. A crowd of hotel and other meeters and greeters where laboriously writing down the data on bits of paper. I think they could easily solve this problem by simply adding the baggage belt number to the "Remarks" column on the arrival data boards. This may not definitively allow you to know what door they would exit from. But from reading the bits of paper, it is clear that baggage belts 1-5 are for domestic arrivals and would exit via door A. Baggage belts 6-16 apparently should exit from door B and baggage belts 17 and above from door C.
What I would like to know is:
1. If your baggage is coming at line 16 for example, are you forced to exit via door B or could you easily wander out through door C? If your baggage arrives at line 17, could you easily exit via door B?
2. Are there any physical barriers that force you through door B or C depending upon which flight you come in on?
3. If you had no baggage, could you easily wander out through either door? Presumably you would not be able to exit via door A if you arrived on an international flight.
This sounds more serious than the other problems so far.....
IT glitches blamed for cargo delays (http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/07Oct2006_biz001.php) - Bangkok Post, 07 October 2006
Staff problems also cited for troubles
WICHIT CHANTANUSORNSIRI & BOONSONG KOSITCHOTETHANA
IT problems and inexperienced staff have resulted in losses for private shippers at the recently opened Suvarnabhumi Airport, Customs Department officials acknowledged yesterday. The customs-free zone at the new airport has been a scene of chaos since the 125 billion baht airport formally opened last month, with shippers reporting lengthy paperwork delays, missing shipments and communication problems.
Customs officials said the problems stemmed from failures in the Air Cargo Communication System (ACCS), set up by Airports of Thailand to manage shipments moving through the airport. ACCS has proved a complete failure to date, said Suriya Sukanand, director of the Suvarnabhumi office of the Customs Department. Officials also blame the disarray on the inexperience of cargo handling newcomer Bangkok Flight Services (BFS), a 50:50 joint venture between French-owned Worldwide Flight Services and Bangkok Airways. Some shippers are reportedly planning to take legal action against BFS for the delays. BFS and Thai Airways International are the main cargo handlers at the airport. ACCS comprises eight sub-systems that electronically control all cargo handling in and out of the customs-free zone. AOT has vowed to address the problems within the ACCS within the next three months.
In the meantime, the AOT has requested that the Customs Department use its existing EDI (electronic data interchange) platform, a system that has been used for the past decade at Don Muang Airport. But this also led to problems, as BFS encountered difficulties in linking up with the EDI system, resulting in lost cargo, delayed deliveries and improper accounting, Mr Suriya said. Customs officials then decided to use manual processing to get around the difficulties in the computer networks, but BFS staff had trouble handling the system. "BFS staff have also had difficulties in keying in invoice data for transmission to the Customs Department, resulting in further delays for exporters and importers," Mr Suriya said.
Responding to the allegations, Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth, the founder and chief executive of Bangkok Airways, acknowledged that problems had occurred due to inexperienced staff. BFS staff had been trained to operate using the ACCS system, not manual processing, he said. Dr Prasert insisted that the company was making progress in addressing the issues, with new staff brought in to help with the workload. Operations are expected to turn to normal within the next several weeks, he added.
"I've been personally monitoring the situation everyday and all of us have been proactive to resolve problems," he said in a phone interview from Japan. BFS had also paid full compensation to all affected parties in accordance with international practice, Dr Prasert said. BFS managing director Stewart Sinclair said the decision by AOT to downgrade from the ACCS to the EDI system had forced the company to rewrite its interfaces linking the company's own cargo management systems with those of the Customs Department. Delays have occurred due to the fact that BFS now must input a much greater amount of information than originally anticipated under the ACCS, he said.
Infrastructure problems, coupled with the lack of sufficient warehouses for freight forwarders, had also complicated cargo management within the customs free zone. "We have met with the freight forwarder community on several occasions and also met with various other stakeholders to find suitable workable solutions to this problem which has resulted in the forwarders being allowed to move into the second row warehouses on a temporary basis for two months," Mr Sinclair said. "If this current arrangement remains in place, BFS will be well placed to dramatically improve our service to customers as this more closely represents the original operating procedures for the customs-free zone."
BFS is a newcomer to the cargo handling field, and won the contract at Suvarnabhumi after Thai Airport Ground Services, which had operated at Don Muang, failed to pass screening. Sources said the troubles encountered at BFS had led many shippers to switch to Thai Airways services instead, resulting in further logjams at the airport.
Since Suvarnabhumi Airport opened on Sept 28, a total of 27,587 outbound manifests have been processed for an average of 4,600 per day, well over the 4,000 per day average recorded at Don Muang. Inbound traffic, however, has been lighter, with Suvarnabhumi handling a total number of 21,249 import manifests since opening, or 3,558 per day, compared with an average of 4,000 at Don Muang.
AOT employees at every AOT airport in Thailand are handing out this free 'Suvarnabhumi Airport Information Kit' I suggest that you try and pick one up. It's not a bad piece of work really. Inside the waterproof plastic shoulder sling pouch are two double-sided colorful maps of the location, the airport and the concourses. There's also a large fridge magnet and a CD-Rom.
http://i12.tinypic.com/2uj3zgp.jpg
The CD-Rom has the tiffs and jpegs from a photographic contest, a bilingual fact sheet, the standard tacky bilingual video presentation, an animation of the shuttle bus route and bilingual versions of the two guide maps in pdf format.
This has sparked some questions for me. Interestingly, the kit places great emphasis on bus transport out of the airport, on inexpensive BMTA buses. It also places a lot of emphasis on explaining the shuttle bus system, with its different routes and timings for airport staff and passengers. But I have yet to find any mention in it of the 'Airport Buses'. It makes me wonder who runs these and why AOT has chosen to ignore them. Not that it really bothers me too much, as buses that run along the expressway, like 551, are pretty useful at 35 Baht, when you consider that they allow you to connect with BTS and other buses at Victory Monument. I note that Airport Bus routes spend a lot of time on ordinary city center roads, and as such are probably just as susceptible to traffic delays as some of their cheaper BMTA alternatives.
Another readily available inexpensive mapping option for the new airport: -
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?p=11585#post11585
Yappofloyd
08-10-06, 08:29 PM
The baggage probelms were expected and are probably not as bad as those whcih occured in Hong Kong or Denver with the opneing of theri new airports. However, 10% of bags missing their flights for Thai airways must be costly and annoying for passengers (glad I am not flying through there now).
The rape report seems very strange. Where did this come from and is it based on an actual incident or is there a cover-up?
New airport encounters major glitch Automated baggage handling system crashes twice at Suvarnabhumi By Amornrat Mahithirook Bkk Post 08/10/06
The baggage handling system at Suvarnabhumi Airport encountered a major technical glitch yesterday, leaving over 6,700 outbound luggage items stranded at the airport. Suvarnabhumi Airport director Somchai Sawasdeepol said the automated system crashed twice, between 6.00-6.20am and 9.00-10.00am, resulting in 6,722 pieces of luggage missing their flights. More than 20 flights, both domestic and international, were affected, he said.
Of the total, 760 items should have been loaded onto Thai Airways International aircraft, which made two domestic and 14 international flights yesterday. According to Mr Somchai, the glitch had something to do with the automated sorting system and the barcode reading. The cause of the problem had yet to be determined. ''There is no problem with the main conveyor belt system. This is something about the database of the server used for baggage sorting,'' said Mr Somchai.
He said the airlines were alerted of the technical problem and advised to switch to a contingency plan which required them to reconfirm the number of check-in baggage pieces. Many members of the airport staff had no idea what to do in such a situation, resulting in piles of unloaded baggage. According to Mr Somchai, baggage would continue to be handled manually until 12pm on Monday _ when the automated system is expected to return to normal and resume operations.
Kawasaki Co, which was contracted to install the baggage handling system, has been called in to solve the problem. Manual handling takes 15 seconds longer than the automated system to clear each piece of luggage, he noted.
The airport director saw the glitch as a minor problem, saying that at least it did not cause any flight delays. THAI yesterday assured that all but those aboard the flight to Sydney would receive their baggage within one day. Those departing for Sydney would get their belongings today.
Chokechai Panyayong, THAI vice-president for ground services, said about 30 soldiers were also deployed to help sort the baggage manually. ''They would sort the items, reading their barcode tags attached to the bags which will be returned to the owners at their flight destinations,'' he said. Mr Chokechai said he would call a meeting with the Airports of Thailand Plc and Kawasaki Co and the airlines to sort out the problem. Baggage handling problems have cost THAI millions of baht in compensation since the commercial opening of the airport on Sept 28, he said.
The luggage service mess on the first day saw Pethai Boonyaves, THAI managing director for ground support equipment services, shifted to an inactive post. Delays in luggage handling have continued to dog the airport, partly due to poor management and inadequate communication facilities. He said baggage handling problems were beyond expectations.
''We anticipated problems at 0.6%, but the figure, to say the truth, is 10%,'' he said.
In a related development at the airport, AoT president Chotisak Asapaviriya, dismissed as sheer rumours a report on sexual assaults at the airport premises. It was reported that an employee of King Power, which operates duty-free shops, and a staff of China Airlines were raped. Mr Chotisak said security authorities had checked surveillance video footage and found nothing suspicious. He also called on the media to verify reports as it may tarnish the airport's image if published.
The airport director saw the glitch as a minor problem, saying that at least it did not cause any flight delays.A very interesting way to look at it.....
of course the flights were not delayed, but the passengers had to fly without their check-in baggage! :o :(
FarangBha
09-10-06, 02:27 PM
I've been through domestic twice now, with no major hassels, but there are troubling signs.
- very long walking distances - the converer belts are a help, until you hit a group who refuse to move to the side, and its easy to end up 50m past your gate, and have to walk back.
- troly esculators arent wide enough for people to walk around others, and are very slow.
- slippery floors: saw one kid go arse over.
- A tour guide friend had an elderly customer get smashed by a trolley which failed to lock on one of the esculators, hospitalised.
- Taxi's refuse to go out there as they cant pick up return passengers.
- the taxi rank system is disorganised.
jerryfin
09-10-06, 11:09 PM
They have solved the problem for meeters and greeters now. Earlier there was no way to know if an arriving international passenger would emerge through door B or C. Now they have the door number in the Remarks column on the display boards. That was highly inconvenient as the two doors are far apart and cannot be watched simultaneously. It has also had the effect of reducing the congestion of arriving passengers and greeters and touts at the very narrow area in front of door B.
mdechgan
10-10-06, 03:07 PM
I have just experienced my first arrival at Suvarnabhumi.
From the baggage area, I could choose to exit from either B or C exit gate.
I arrived at baggage carousel #12 and with a short walk I could choose to exit either B or C exit gate. Honestly there were no signs marking exit gate B or C in the baggage area, heck I didn't even know if the left exit was B or C or the right exit was B or C?
It is impossible to tell your friends or relatives which gate to wait at because it is impossible to know which baggage carousel your flight baggage would be arriving at. One would have better luck to just wait outside the arrival area and pick a spot under a known sign to meet.
The arrival area is so shallow, no depth at all. As soon as you walk out to immediately hit the glass wall. Left and right of the exit area people are jammed packed with hotel and taxi signs. They have got to increase the area. I was trying to get outside of the terminal to get a taxi limosine at it took me like 10 mins to weave around the people to get outside. It took me another 10 mins to find a taxi limosine. Because there were no signs or limosine counters. Fortunately a security guard told me to contact one of the people wearing a yellow shirt. I arrived on a Monday (morning Oct 9th) and I think 90% of the people standing outside of the airport was wearing yellow. Just a hint for anyone that needs an airport limosine. Look for a person immediatly outside that is holding a clipboard or taxi receipt bundle standing around the Nissan Teanas or Camrys. The limosine price wasn't that bad. I think cheaper than they were at Don Muang. Only 1,200 baht to Phutthamonthon Sai 4 Rd. Don Muang limosine charged me about 1,500 baht. Taxi meter was about 500 baht on the way to the airport. But I needed the extra space of the limosine for my luggage so it was worth it. I heard the drivers only get paid 12% of the fare no monthly based salary, so I tipped him a 100 baht because he didn't complain about the long drive. These guys also work a 24 shift.
To catch a regular taxi one has to take the escalator to the lower floor to catch one. I didn't even try because I had a lot of baggage and couldn't find an elevator to take my trolley down and I sure wasn't even gonna try with my baggage on the escalators.
Just to remind you, the walk from the gate to the immigration area is a long one, very very long one. I calculated it to be about 500 meters from my gate to the immigration counter. Immigration lines weren' too long. like a 5 min wait, not bad. There is nothing like a 500 meter walk to get the blood in your legs circulating after a 14hr non-stop flight from L.A.
Any other questions just ask me and I'll try my best to answer form my experience.
jerryfin
10-10-06, 03:31 PM
Thanks for that "insiders" view of the exit fiasco. I just assumed there would be some way of encouraging/making arriving passengers exit through the exit door displayed on the arrivals board.
During the early period, when no exit gate information was displayed for meeters, the Information desk was displaying baggage belt detail and it appeared that belts 6-16 were closest to exit gate B and 17 and above were for gate C. But if there is no physical barrier inside, the gate information is useless and now there is no belt number information either.
So I got my first real Suvarnabhumi experience as a passenger last week. Here's my 50 satang's worth:
1. Departing:
*A detail not yet mentioned, I think: is the viewing deck still under construction? There is an area on level 5 (you need to take an elevator up from the departure hall) next to a cafe, but the entrance was cordoned off, with some works going on. In addition, there was a sign "members only" or something like that.....
*Now, the toilets.... are ridiculous. Very small and crowded. Like in the gents there are usually just 2 stalls and 2 (max. I saw anywhere was 4) urinals.
*The slippery floor issue: unbelievable!
After passing the immigration counters you need to go down into concourse D (around 1.5 m height difference, for some reason), so there's a connecting passage with an inclined floor. And guess what? It is exactly in this area where they decided to use the smoothest and most slippery, polished floor tiles. Like a mirror finish. That is really insane. So they had put up warning signs; which was good because I was wearing slippers with rather worn-out soles and otherwise could have landed on my backside. But in the long term they will have to change that pavement. How can any architect come up with this nonsense? Every single passenger has to pass through there.
*Sliding down the incline, you then you bump into stacks of duty-free products, heralding the temple of consumerism: the transit area is certainly one big King Power shopping mall... It all looks very up-market, like the Emporium or Paragon. On a sidenote, I also noted that the prices Burger King are higher than at non-airport branches, and than they used to be at Don Muang. The meals are in the range of 160 to 180 Baht - whereas at Changi, in rich Singapore, you can get the equivalent for around 6 $ (140 Baht). Crazy. I think prices for bottled drinks and coffee are also above those at Don Muang, though I am not sure.
*In the jetways, on the other hand, they have a metal floor with round knobs the size of a 5 Baht coin, which gets quite noisy if cabin luggage is rolled over it. No real complaint, just an observation. Seems like a strange choice. Usually you have fine transverse grooves, or even carpet.
*And one anecdote: I lost a pair of scissors at Suvarnabhumi. I was traveling light, only carrying a small shoulder bag and a more or less cabin luggage sized suitcase. So I asked whether I would have to check that in or not. They asked whether there were any sharp objects inside. I denied, and they allowed me to take it into the cabin. Well, to be honest, there were some small nail scissors...... And you guessed it - they really spotted them at the baggage scan in front of the departure gate! The staff then said, "Sorry, sorry, but you cannot take this with you. Which airline? Maybe you can ask at the departure lounge if they take it for you and give it back to you after the flight." Which I did, but the Thai Air Asia staff told me it was not possible (?) Anyway, not so important.
At least it shows they have done their homework..... though I am not that sure if I would have managed to threaten the pilot with those scissors ;)
2. Arriving:
*Yes - it's a long way to Tipperary, eh..... immigration; through half of the length of concourse D to the center of the main terminal building. Also the signage is not too clear, leaving you in doubt where you have to exit the succession of travelators (you need to use 4 or 5 in a row). But on the plus side, there are lots of immigration desks, and most of them were staffed. So it took me a mere 3 minutes to pass through.
*As for Jerry's question about the baggage claim area and the exit doors - there's a huge partition separating groups of baggage carousels. The part where I ended up contained belts 17 to 23, with only a narrow passage to the adjoining area. So it would be quite natural for passengers to exit through door B or C according to where they collect their bags. But there are no signs whatsoever and you could take any door you wanted.
*The arrival area is ridiculously small indeed - insanity again. Really makes you wonder why they could not allocate more space for this purpose in such a vast terminal?
*I had the impression there were more touts for limo services than I have ever noticed at Don Muang. In total, 2 men and 1 woman approached me within the space of one minute: "Sir, taxi for you?", not imagining that I intended to take the public bus. Needless to say I brushed them off.
*To make it clear: the arrival level only has limousines. In order to get to the airport bus / shuttle bus stops and taxi pickup area, you need to go down to the basement. The signage is insufficient and will definitely leave first-timers confused. Also, the escalator/travelator thingies down to level 1 are quite narrow and possibly not suited for oversized baggage.
*Before leaving, I decided to sample the offerings of the food court ("Magic Food Point" in the basement next to the shuttle bus stop. Not sure whether that is the same place Jerry mentioned? This one was not so big.) Went for kuay tiao ruea luk chin muu (boat noodles with pork balls) for 25 Baht, which was very good. Colourful interior (including some sort of 1970s retro style, cup-shaped bar chairs with suspension), clean, friendly staff too.
*I then had to wait 10 minutes for the next shuttle bus (it was after 11 pm). This was the 'ordinary route', full of airport staff on the way home from their shift. After arriving at the transporation center (took around 12 minutes from the terminal, including stops at the cargo buildings and elsewhere) I changed to public bus no. 551, which brought me home for 35 Baht in no more than 25 minutes.
In summary: I think we can say there are some obvious design flaws (dangerously slippery floor, few/tiny toilets, tiny arrival area). Other than that I didn't experience any problems. But then I didn't have check-in luggage....
Suvarnabhumi is new and modern, but IMO lacks atmosphere and still looks unfinished in parts. In the concourses there are often naked concrete ceilings with piping visible; and then you have those charming plastic palmtrees. Oh well. I think I have started to develop a nostalgia for grubby plastic and yellow tiles. Boris Becker once famously said Wimbledon to him was like his living room. With Don Muang it kinda felt the same...
mdechgan
16-10-06, 10:35 PM
Yes the restrooms were ridiculously small. I think 1 sink, 1 urinal and 2 stalls per room. Something like two rooms per long corridor.
I also noticed the ceiling also. I think the bare concrete was designed to be painted but I guess the construction was rushed and they decided not to paint them. I'm pretty sure the bare concrete wasn't suppose to be bare, it looks kinda raw.
I knida like the floors. They are porcelain tiles. But I do agree they should have been used on the inclines/declines. Should have level the floor or use more rustic materials.
I also noticed some leaks from the glass seals.
Arrival:
The arrival area is really small, they have got to move the doors back or something.
The B and C door is really annoying.
One will have to make a 50/50 guess to tell your friend to wait at the B or C area because one wouldn't know which carousel the flight would arrive at before hand. It would be hell is someone actually went through another door other than the designated carousel. But in Don Muang I think one could arrive at Terminal 1 and exit Terminal 2 through a tunnel in the baggage area.
I also noticed some leaks from the glass seals.
Pros:
What was really good was the air conditioning. The system is designed with chilled water pipes running under the floors. It's really cool and one doesn't notice a draft or anything. I guess that's why they had to use tiled floors.
Conclusion:
I think the airport will become old very fast. The construction isn't as good as it should be. I think in 5 years there will have to be a remodeling and redesigning.
I'm not sure if its at full capacity yet or not. But I think it will get very crowded and in the next few months. Traffic outside the airport might also get clogged even more.
This looks like a crib of that rather tacky video presentation on the CD-Rom in the AOT Information Pack.
Anyone out there know who the voiceover is? I've heard this voice loads of times on stuff produced in and for Thailand, and its tone always grates. In my mind's eye he's probably an English teacher with the likes of an Inlingua flagship Bangkok branch: -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnz0oxkmwq0
The video presentation on the AOT CD-Rom is slightly different from the one in the last post. However, it was probably made by the same company and has a great deal more in common more than just the voiceover. At 112 Mb, I think I won't bother to upload the CD-Rom version, although I might eventually do some shorter outtakes.
But I have uploaded an animation showing how the airport's ordinary & express shuttle bus system works: -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4MJ_0NwVIw
jerryfin
23-10-06, 02:14 PM
Thanks for the interesting updates. Yes, the Magic Food Point is the one I mentioned and found to be very good but crowded. Now some more of the food outlets on the 3rd floor are operating, Magic is less crowded. The most numerous toilets are at the Bus Terminal...banks of them!
I learned something on my last visit to the airport...and that was how Tesco Lotus supermarket trolleys manage to stick like glue to the traveling walkways. They have the same system at the airport on the trolleys. They have a disk on the front wheels that is slightly larger in diameter than the wheel. When that disk drops into one of the slots in the walkway, it locks the front wheel(s). Now, at the airport they have a fixed, horizontal walkway between the 3rd floor and the car parks and it is made from 8" wide longitudinal metal channels with a small gap between each channel due to the beveled edges. I was observing passengers with loaded trolleys going to the car parks and suddenly the trolleys would grind to a halt when the front wheel disk fell into the gap between the channels. None of the passengers seemed to understand why the trolley had stopped and started to fiddle with the brake handle or the little legs with blue feet at the back. Two passengers actually left the trolleys and walked back to get another trolley..which of course suffered the same fate. Others just pushed very hard until the disk came out of the groove. This problem seemed to affect almost every passenger with a trolley. Those who by luck or design managed to keep their front wheels in the middle of the channels got off easily. Such a simple problem could be solved with a hard-setting mastic.
The most numerous toilets are at the Bus Terminal...banks of them!Oh yes. Thanks for pointing this out. So the public transportation center seems to be the only part of the airport where the toilet facilities are like what you'd expect them to be; whereas at the terminal building, you have these 'private atmosphere restrooms' (well, not if they're crowded!) for the 45 million or so passengers annually.
That's really ting-tong. :(
Over at the Thai Visa forum someone reported (http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=89934)this (and someone else pointed out that 2 million Baht per piece might be a bit expensive....*):
More toilets for new Thai airport
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Authorities in Thailand said Wednesday they will triple the number of toilets at the newly opened Bangkok international airport following a flood of passenger complaints.
The sprawling Suvarnabhumi International Airport only has some 100 toilets for the more than 100,000 daily passengers, sparking frustration and anger among those having to stand in long lines.
"We are aware of this burden on the passengers and I have ordered a quick resolution to this problem by ordering the building of 200 more toilets. The project has already begun," the head of the Airports Authority of Thailand Chotisak Asapaviriya told The Associated Press.
The 400 million baht ($10 million) project is expected to be completed within 45 days.
"I guarantee that by then passengers and visitors to the airport will find convenient relief," Chotisak said.
Opened last month and hailed as the new air hub for Southeast Asia, the airport has not been without problems, including slow unloading of luggage, insufficient seating at departure gates and a cramped taxi pickup area.
Most recently, some of the parking bays have been temporarily closed for repairs due to the uneven surface of the ramp approach, Chotisak said.
Source: AP - 25 October 2006
*continuing in the good old Suvarnabhumi construction scandal tradition, one might say!
Meanwhile, the Nation has opened its own forum (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=4.0) for passengers to air their Suvarnabhumi grievances.
And yet more opinions from the Skytrax (http://www.airlinequality.com/Airports/Airport_forum/bkk-suv.htm) website.
Since Suvarnabhumi is still a messy airport, will tourists find it easy to find ATMs and money changers?
I am completely appalled by AOT and Taksin!
Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, KLIA, Changi Airport, Batam Center Hang Nadim Airport and Chep Lap Kok International Airport are better than Suvarnabhumi.
jpatokal
26-10-06, 12:01 PM
Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport [...] are better than Suvarnabhumi.
OK, I'll bite -- why? :confused:
Yappofloyd
26-10-06, 01:04 PM
Another taxiway? When was the first discovered? I wonder if in the haste to finish the airport early there has not been some corners cut in the laying of some of the tarmacs? Are the mechanisms to control and stabilise the amount of water, especially as it was a swamp, in the soil under the tarmac sufficient?
Another taxiway has 'water infiltration' Problems continue at Suvarnabhumi airport AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK Bkk Post 26/10/06
Problems at Suvarnabhumi airport continue as officials have found the surface of another taxiway is uneven due to water infiltration through its cracked tarmac. Suvarnabhumi airport general manager Somchai Sawasdeepon said that more cracks and uneven spots were discovered in three places on the taxiway leading to concourse building B. The defects add to those earlier found on taxiway T13 and the E2, 4 and 6 bays which have been closed for repairs since last week.
Officials initially pointed to rainwater left on the tarmac which had gradually seeped into the cracked asphalt-paved surface as the cause of the problem. That can be repaired with new paving, Mr Somchai said ITO Joint Venture, the airport contractor, will mend the taxiways. Airlines have been told of the defects and repairs. Officials are checking the airport and will order repairs if more cracks are found. Mr Somchai said a possible cause of the problem was that taxiways had been completed as long as two years before the airport was opened on Sept 28. After being completed, they had been left unused long enough to deteriorate, he said. But he insisted the problem was normal and it had happened at Don Muang and airports elsewhere. ''I guarantee that this will not affect service because 69 remote parking bays can be used. About 800 flights can normally operate every day. I am confident this problem will not happen on runways because their structure is stronger and bear a lighter weight from the aircraft,'' Mr Somchai said.
Taxiways and parking bays have heavier burdens of static weight while runways take less because the aircraft are moving. Aviation Department director-general Chaisak Angkhasuwan said the cracks found did not show the airport construction was substandard. He assumed the mix of tarmac might have included water and so the surface could crack later.
Surveys found that the fundamental layer of the taxiways, which was made of concrete, was undamaged, he said.
That Nation forum (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=4.0) reminded me of something: In the second post from the bottom you can see a photo of a flight information display board (or screen).
(As for the toilet pictures there - not sure where the poster encountered these conditions. They usually don't look that bad!)
The text on these boards is quite small, especially in Thai, where on top of that they use a font that is far from clear and easy to read. But the worst part is that the announcements switch between English and Thai in one-second intervals, making it almost impossible to finish reading anything and ultimately driving you mad if you look at them for too long. This is no trivial matter. Passengers are trying to confirm flight information, and these damn things keep flashing, and text appearing and disappearing. Quite a nuisance for anyone, but could be a real disaster for the elderly or people with impaired sight, etc.
I think it has been said before that there are no loudspeaker announcements (flight...... from...... has landed / flight...... to....... is now ready for boarding at gate.....) at Suvarnabhumi. Anyway, I remember when I checked in there was something being said over the PA (not regular flight information), but the acoustics in the departure hall was such that half of it was unintelligible.....
It now takes 1 minute or two to clear the Customs & Immigration upon arrival at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport. More Customs manned.
It is easier to board Airport Bus at Soekarno-Hatta than at Suvarnabhumi.
jpatokal
27-10-06, 11:16 AM
It now takes 1 minute or two to clear the Customs & Immigration upon arrival at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport. More Customs manned.
What flights were you on!? On any of SQ's 777 services (always packed to the last seat), if you're flying Economy, waiting times to get through immigration are in the 30-60 min range if you already have a visa (and it's back to the line with you if you have to get a visa on arrival). Add in, say, a slightly delayed CX 747 from Hong Kong landing at the same time and you can get stuck for over two hours.
Valuair and Adam Air, on two separate occasions, from Singapore.
At domestic terminal, no problem going through the Customs if you fly in from Batam and other Indonesian cities.
Why is Suvarnabhumi so unfriendly? Is the way to the Airline offices building clear and easy enough? When will the Suvarnabhumi official web-site be ready ?
Yappofloyd
28-10-06, 03:01 AM
@Khun Ganyc, I suspect that you must have extra VIP priority as in the many times I have flown into Jakarta SH airport it has never come close to anything like a few minutes to clear customs! Perhaps let's give the new airport some time before making a real comparison. Of course the whole public transport terminal isolation is stupid and ill planned.
BTW, if you had travelled to HK in the first couple of months after opening CLK you wouldn't have said that it was a great airport upon finding out your bags went to Tokyo or Sydney or that you had to wait 3 hours for them to appear. Such teething problems are invariable in the haste to open these modern wonders of organised chaos.
Back to the taxiway tarmac issue...
"Due to cost saving policy..." ,ie. In the haste to finish the airport quickly for polcitical reasons we cut corners in quality of construction and thus it will end up costing more to fix.
SUVARNABHUMI / TAXIWAYS, PARKING BAYS Engineers: Cracks due to use of cheap tarmac AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK BKK Post 28/10/06
Engineers say swollen and cracked taxiways and parking bays at Suvarnabhumi airport are the result of the use of cheap tarmac, according to airport general manager Somchai Sawasdeepon. Mr Somchai said engineers from the Engineering Institute of Thailand and taxiway construction supervisors inspected the airport yesterday following the discovery of two swollen and cracked taxiways and five aircraft parking bays similarly damaged to the east and west of the passenger terminal.
The uneven part along an eastern taxiway is 150 metres long and its cracks are 33cm deep. All the uneven areas are closed for repairs. According to Mr Somchai, the inspection found excessive amounts of water in canals surrounding the airport protected by flood dykes. The level of water outside the dykes is normally expected to be about 80cm but at present is 150cm. The excess increases the amount of underground water beneath the airport. Thus, the water has seeped upward through the 73cm-thick underneath concrete layer of the taxiways and soaked the 33cm-thick superficial asphalt layer. The tarmac is of a common grade and rigid so it became swollen and cracked under the weight of aircraft landing gear.
"Due to a cost-saving policy, ordinary asphalt that excluded polymer was chosen. It cost 3,000 baht per cubic metre. Polymer modified asphalt that is flexible and endures the pressure better costs 4,500-5,000 baht per cubic metre," Mr Somchai said. Engineers suggested the surface be replaced with polymer modified asphalt, especially on taxiways and curves that usually come under heavy pressure. Mr Somchai insisted that the problem did not affect the structure of all the runways at Suvarnabhumi airport.
i am not a VIP priority passenger. I always fly Economy. Whenever i fly Valuair and Adam Air to Jakarta, the Customs clearance is speedy, faster than Bangkok.
Good stuff from new look of AOT webpages, but in Thai
http://www2.airportthai.co.th/airportnew/main/pdf/SREPORT_FINAL.pdf?lang=en
Overall
1. Negative Airport's Image
2. Constructors mix with passengers
3. No As-built drawing
4. Accident from road crossing
5. IT with building/facilities system not fully working or mulfunction
6. No standard/official direction sign
7. Trolley not enough
8. Emergency Exit/Fire Exit
9. Staff readiness for emergency evacuation
10. Som rumors
11. Facilities for disable persons
Parking Area
12. Congest at exit paytoll
13. Carpark area management
14. Cart in carpark area
15. Barrrier gap, children may fallen down
16. Water Leak to elevator hall (carpark lift)
Passenger Drop Off area (road curve)
17. Congestion
Terminal
- Toilet
18. Not enough
19. location is far away
20. Dirty
- usage
21. narrow walkway
22. Cooling system (Heat) from renters
23. Cooling system (Heat) from opening doors
24. Cooling system (Heat) from glass roof
25. Cooling system (Heat) from misuse of area
26. Seat not enough
27. Check-in area
28. Arrival exit hall is small
29. Sunshine to working area
30. Priest seat
- Entrance/Exit Door
31. Revolving Doors not practical
32. Doors beside revolving doors remains opening
- Construction/surface
33. Dirty Floor, and different in color
34. Crack, and steps on floors
35. Laguage Trolley will stuck in gap on walkway between terminal building and carpark building
36. Slips on walyway to carpark building
37. long slope between departure hall and concourse (may cause slip and fall) - After immigation area
38. Dirty glass wall/ceiling
39. Water Leak from roof
- Air Condition / Ventilation
40. Not enought cooling system, cool air pipe
41. Cooking smells on 3Fl.
- Security Systems
42. Security not ready (mix between safety door, security doors)
- Flight Information screen
43. Diffculty to read
- Lighting/elect/communication
44. Lighting not enough in almost working area
45. Light blub out of order > 1000
- Sign
46. Sign not enough and wrong
47. Commercial booth/stores block the lot of toilet signs
- General
48. Expensive Food cost
49. Non-comfort waiting seat
- Concourse
50. Long distance to gate
51. Some public equipment cannot be used (life, escalators) due to misuse of area
52. Passenger traffice leak between departure and arrival in domestic area
53. Water supply not enough
54. Sprinkler not working in some area
55. solve emergency/problems response to the area
- Runway/Taxiway
56. Some aircraft cannot connect to connecting gates
57. Damaged Taxiway
58. Traffic between plane and bus
59. Lenght of power supply 400Hz from floor to plan not long enough
60. Cool air Hose is short and some not fit with aircraft
61. No parking area at end of Runway not definded.
Wow... loads of funny drawings in that document. Among my favourites:
21. Help! Hawkers in the concourse!
26. Flying carpet (for lack of seating)
27. 1-day and 2-day check-in queues :eek:
29. Disco lights :cool:
31. Superman fails at the revolving door
33. People trying to divine lottery numbers from the dirty/multi-coloured floor tiles? :D
37. The ski slope between immigration and concourse (Who said that Thailand couldn't have indoor skiing, if Dubai has? ;) )
45. Light bulbs giving up the ghost
50. A gate too far.....
...and many others.
Bangkok's new airport denied safety certificate
Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) decided Friday not to renew an international safety certificate for Bangkok's new airport in the latest setback for Thailand's brand new airport.
The certificate has no legal binding and is not required by law for the airport to operate, meaning it can stay open and provide service at least for the moment.
The DCA had been scheduled Friday either to issue a permanent Aerodrome Certificate for Suvarnabhumi Airport, or renew an interim document awarded on July 25.
Instead it opted to postpone the decision. The DCA certificate assures that the airport meets the standards of the UN International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
DCA director general Chaisak Angkasuwan said they would wait until Thailand passed a law due within months requiring all airports to meet ICAO standards, and then reassess the situation at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
"Getting the certificate is not legally binding so Suvarnabhumi can operate without such a certificate," Chaisak told The Nation.
However, he conceded the move would shake confidence in Suvarnabhumi.
Airports of Thailand (AoT) has set up an independent panel to investigate that problem, and it has two weeks to report its recommendations.
Some parts of the runways and taxiways have been closed recently as many cracks were found there. The closure for repair works delayed many incoming flights to the airport that was open four months ago.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont warned travellers of inconveniences because of the investigation into the cracks. "The flights can still land, but passengers will have to experience discomfort," he told reporters.
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30025194
SIAM THIS MORNING
Suvarnabhumi's construction embarrasment of country: Tortrakul
A director of the Airports of Thailand Plc said the massive corruption in the construction of the Suvarnabhumi International Airport had embarrassed the country in the eyes of foreign engineers.
The director, Tortrakul Yommanak who is investigating corruption and problems at the new airport, was speaking during the Siam This Morning programme broadcast on Channel 5 at 6:15 am Friday.
Interviewed by Nation Group editor Thepchai Yong, Tortrakul said he felt very embarrassed when talking about the issue with foreign engineers.
He said the massive corruption was definitely known to people or firms involved during the design or construction but no one talked about it.
"The corruption disease spread like when one was bitten by a vampire, he or she turned into another vampire and bit other people more," Tortrakul said, when Thepchai asked he felt embarrassed when talking to foreign engineers regarding the Suvarnabhumi fiasco.
Tortrakul compared the problems regarding the cracks at the runways and taxiways at the airport like a millionaire being fooled to buy poor-quality goods.
"I feel sad. It was like we are a millionaire. Other millionaires bug good-quality products but we got fake goods. Had this been involved a millionaire, he would have suffered alone. But the country was cheated so it was embarrassing to the country. It is embarrassing in the eyes of visiting foreigners and Thais [who use the airport]," Tortrakul said.
He said the partial repair of the runways could cost more than Bt300 million.
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/01/26/headlines/headlines_30025169.php
jpatokal
28-01-07, 08:21 PM
And looks like this will require more than a mai pen rai accompanied by handwaving and a nervous smile to fix. The Nation (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/01/28/headlines/headlines_30025296.php):
Dr Sumet Jumsai said the increasingly serious runway cracks had to be resolved. ...
"For the runways, repairs to the cracks must continue, but Airports of Thailand should sheet-pile both sides of the runways along their entire length.
"This should lessen the subsoil shift and reduce cracks on the apron's surface," he said.
"In the long run it may be necessary to pile all the aprons. The new runway east of the existing polder [a polder is a dyked area], slated for expansion, might be built sooner rather than later.
"In this respect the polder must not be expanded, and the new runway must not be land-filled. Instead the runway should be built above flood level on piers in order to allow flood water to pass under it," Sumet said.
"In this way it will not impede water flow or further reduce the flood-retention capacity of Nong Ngu Hao swamp [on which the airport is built]." ...
"Nature is now taking its toll in this swamp, and I feel everyone has got it wrong in the ongoing investigation. The bottom line is that with or without corruption - and every government in the design and construction phases is implicated - the runways and any structure not on piles will be subject to differential settlement and cracks," he said.
"All you have to do is to look at the Bang Na-Trat Highway. After so many years and multiple layers of compressed sub-base, the road still sinks," he said.
SUVARNABHUMI
Airport chief steps down amidst crisis
AOT boss Chotisak cites 'poor health', general manager shifted to inactive post
Heads have begun to roll at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Under tremendous pressure over the mounting problems at the new airport Chotisak Asapaviriya yesterday resigned as president of Airports of Thailand (AOT).
His resignation was effective immediately.
Somchai Sawasdeepon, the general manager of AOT, was also shifted by the board to the inactive post of "company specialist".
The resignation of Chotisak and shifting of Somchai came after an endless series of scandals surrounding the new airport forced authorities to make plans to shift some domestic flights back to Don Muang Airport.
The AOT's board of directors appointed its vice president Kullaya Phakakong, who is responsible for planning and finance, to succeed Chotisak.
It also appointed Serirat Prasutanond, executive vice president for regional airports, to replace Somchai as general manager.
Chotisak voluntarily stepped down, citing ill health as the reason, a source from the AOT board said.
General Saprang Kalayanamitr, deputy commander of the Royal Thai Army, chaired the board meeting. He had been signalling for some time that he was unhappy with Chotisak's performance.
Chotisak, who obtained a score of 62 points on his six-month performance assessment last October, had been under pressure from a host of problems: from taxiway cracks and lost luggage to leaks in the terminal roof and damage to cargo.
His score was just above the target of 60 points and his performance was due to be re-assessed in three months.
Before joining AOT on April 3, Chotisak had worked at Siam City Bank and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Bank of Thailand.
Somchai was not available for comment yesterday. His replacement, Serirat, said he would tackle the problems with urgency.
The industry veteran said he had not expected to be given the job.
Serirat said he would immediately call a meeting of executives to handle the crisis.
AOT's board earlier established three committees to investigate and resolve problems at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The first panel has been working on relieving the problems of passengers.
The second is overseeing security to eliminate crime and ensure adequate measures to combat
terrorism are in place. The third panel is responsible for tackling corruption.
Watcharapong Thongrung, Suchat Sritama
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/02/02/headlines/headlines_30025759.php
'Bobcat' will cut flight time to Europe
AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK
Flight times to Europe should be shortened by up to an hour from Thursday when Aerothai launches a new regional air traffic flow management system. The Bay of Bengal Cooperative Air Traffic Flow Management System (Bobcat) will cut travelling time for west-bound flights departing from South Asia and Southeast Asia, Priti Hetrakul, president of Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai), said yesterday. The Bobcat system was designed to ease air traffic congestion over Afghanistan between the hours of 3am and 6.59am.
It reorganises the times flights should enter Afghanistan airspace, and at what altitude. It also designates a suitable flight path, reducing the need for detours.
Mr Priti said flights to Europe would be shortened by 30 to 60 minutes _ which was both a convenience for passengers and a considerable saving on jet fuel for airlines each year.
Aerothai developed Bobcat with approval from the International Civil Aviation Organisation and other regional governments, and had been operating on a trial basis for about a year now, he said. The International Air Transport Association had been asked to share Aerothai's 10-million-baht investment in the system. After the official launch, Aerothai will charge airlines a fee to offset expenses in training staff and maintaining the system, which now caters to more than 30 airlines.
Mr Priti said once Bobcat was up and running Thailand would be able to position itself as the region's aviation hub.
Noppadol Saengngern, an Aerothai specialist in charge of the Bobcat project, said flying to Europe via Afghanistan was the shortest and safest route from South and Southeast Asia in terms of weather patterns.
The Bobcat system, headquartered at Aerothai in Bangkok, would save up to 12 million kilogrammes of jet fuel per year.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/02Jul2007_news04.php
The Enforcer!
03-07-07, 08:01 AM
Trusting your life to a computer eh?
The Enforcer!
Yappofloyd
11-07-07, 01:41 PM
^Ah well, whenever you jump on a plane your trusting your life to a computer both in terms of the plane controls but also ATC.
In fact I never really appreciated the importance of Afghan airspace for Europe - Asia traffic until I worked in Afghanistan in 2004. Being based mainly at the end of the Hindu Kush up in the Bamyan province (where the big Buddhas where blown up by the Taliban in March 2001) I was amazed at the number of flights which flew over the area.
19 July 2007
Light filtering stickers to be attached on mirrors in Suvarnabhumi
Suvarnabhumi Airport is making light filtering stickers for the mirrors on the fourth floor of the passenger terminal behind the immigration checkpoint as sunlight is heating the terminal.
Mr. Serirat Prasutanond (เสรีรัตน์ ประสุตานนท์), the Director of Suvarnabhumi Airport, says officials are urgently solving the problems at the passenger terminal, to facilitate the passengers and the airport personnel. He says sunlight on the fourth floor of the passenger terminal causes increasing heat and hinders the airport operation. Thus, the airport is making light filtering stickers to cool down the heat in this area.
Meanwhile, Suvarnabhumi Airport is setting up tourism images from various provinces of Thailand at the passenger terminal, and the work is expected to be done in the middle of next month.
Passengers have also complained that the Fire Exit signs at the airport are not very visible. Mr. Serirat says the airport is now solving this problem. He says the airport executives are deciding whether all signs in the airport will be upgraded in order to raise the standard.
Reporter : RTI-Reporter03
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255007190013
mdechgan
20-07-07, 11:30 AM
Its surprising how so many idiotic things occur at the multi billion baht airport.
Things like this should have been known since the terminal's design was done before the first pillars were even put into the ground.
Lack of bathroooms, bad lighting, small arrival area, too much UV in a tropical country. These should have been hammered out during the design stages.
I guess they mean "window panes", not "mirrors". In Thai language, both are called กระจก (krajok) in short....
jpatokal
22-07-07, 01:29 PM
From The Nation (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/07/20/business/business_30041600.php) (and a Google cache (http://72.14.235.104/search?q=cache:HG8nuxCNLScJ:www.nationmultimedia.c om/2007/07/20/pda/business_30041600.html+Bangkok+Board+of+Airline+Re presentatives&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7&client=mozilla), as Nation's site is down with SQL problems right now):
The tight capacity at Suvarnabhumi Airport and its high user charges have forced several international airlines to consider China, India or Vietnam as their future operating base instead of Bangkok, the Board of Airline Representatives (BAR) said yesterday.
Some carriers have pulled flights. Swiss International Airline has cut its flights between Bangkok and Switzerland from seven per week to six. Lufthansa of Germany has reduced service between Thailand and Germany and increased flights to Shanghai in China instead, said BAR president Brian Sinclair Thomson. ...
Airports of Thailand (AOT) has not yet started construction of a planned midfield terminal to increase passenger-handling capacity. The operator has also shelved other expansion plans at the airport.
AOT has, however, hiked its airport parking, airport landing and ground service fees by 35 per cent within 20 months.
Note the contradiction in the article: if the problem is tight capacity (airlines want to fly more but can't), why would they reduce capacity (fly less)?
My opinion is that this is partly cyclical: airlines have noticed that they can getting better loads and prices by flying to India or China, and as the size of the long-haul fleet is fixed (in the short term), they're reducing services to SE Asia to free it up for India/China. It's not just BKK getting hit with this, KUL and SIN have the same problem too, esp. as LCCs have wrecked the traditional "fly to point A, hop onward to point B" (x-BKK-SIN, x-BKK-KUL, x-SIN-CGK) model that many European airlines used. This doesn't mean demand from/to SE Asia is any less, and the flights should be back once the airlines get more planes -- unless SQ, MH, TG and company vacuum up the slack, which they're trying their best to do.
The Enforcer!
23-07-07, 08:49 AM
Note the contradiction in the article: if the problem is tight capacity (airlines want to fly more but can't), why would they reduce capacity (fly less)?
No contradiction at all: it surely depends on end destination?
You have x number of planes to China/Auz/Japan via Bangkok.
If you want 2x planes to China/Auz/Japan via Bangkok but BKK cannot deal with them, then you route your 2x planes via somewhere that can, and only fly to BKK those planes required for people just going there, possible half x.
The Enforcer!
jpatokal
23-07-07, 10:28 AM
No contradiction at all: it surely depends on end destination?
You have x number of planes to China/Auz/Japan via Bangkok.
If you want 2x planes to China/Auz/Japan via Bangkok but BKK cannot deal with them, then you route your 2x planes via somewhere that can, and only fly to BKK those planes required for people just going there, possible half x.
Nice theory, but it doesn't work. It makes no sense geographically to fly from Europe to China or Japan via Bangkok, since Europe-East Asia is ~12 hours direct, whereas going via Bangkok would take a minimum of 18 hours:
http://gc.kls2.com/cgi-bin/gc?PATH=LHR-BKK-PVG-LHR
Neither Lufthansa nor Swiss does this, nor do they fly to Australia.
The Enforcer!
23-07-07, 11:22 AM
Neither Lufthansa nor Swiss does this, nor do they fly to Australia.
Where do they fly to after BKK?
The Enforcer!
jpatokal
24-07-07, 11:38 AM
Where do they fly to after BKK?
Swiss flies to Singapore, Lufthansa to Kuala Lumpur.
LH also flies three times a week to Ho Chi Minh City
Where do they fly to after BKK?
The Enforcer!
Lufthansa also flies (or it was so some years ago) to Manila.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/09/05/headlines/images/30047784-01.jpg
[Photo: The Nation]
AOT chief resigns
Published on September 5, 2007
Airports of Thailand (AOT) acting president Kulya Pakakrong has tendered her resignation amid reported pressure from higher-ups over continuing problems at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
A source at AOT said Kulya tendered her resignation to the board on August 30, but the board has asked her to consider the matter thoroughly and has not yet approved her resignation.
"If Khun Kulya insists on her decision at the board meeting on September 6, we will review this issue," said the source, who asked not to be named. Kulya could be not reached for comment.
AOT officers said she was on an overseas trip but would return to attend the board meeting tomorrow.
The source admitted that Kulya had been uncomfortable as acting president because of several orders by the board - chiefly the order to remove King Power International Group's duty-free operation.
The case has gone to the Civil Court, which means King Power has legal protection until the case is over.
Kulya said during an interview on August 24, a day after the board ordered management to remove the duty-free area, that she would seek legal advice from internal and external units about whether she was empowered to remove King Power.
She was afraid that any action in line with the board's decision would land her in trouble.
Kulya, as senior executive vice president for planning and finance, was appointed acting president by the AOT board chaired by Saprang Kalayanamitr in February. She was expected to serve for two months while the board selected a new president. However, the selection process has not yet finished.
According to Kulya, 10 people applied for the post but the Council of State has yet to verify the qualification of an applicant. The selection process will continue only when the verification is completed, she said.
"Due to the huge publicity, work at Suvarnabhumi has progressed slowly. I admit that we have to be thorough in everything to prevent bad publicity. Every day, I receive a letter from contractors, saying that they have not yet received the money for the work they have completed," she said.
However, Kulya said recently that she was not thinking about resigning, saying she was doing her best.
"Yet there are so many problems and I think my responsibility well surpasses my pay. To date, I earn the salary of a CFO, not president."
Meanwhile, Saprang also reportedly said that he would quit as AOT chairman.
However, both Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen and his deputy Sansern Wongcha-um said they did not acknowledge the report and had not even discussed the matter with Saprang.
Saprang said yesterday that if appointed the next Army commander-in-chief, he would quit chairmanship at all the state enterprises' board of directors he was serving.
Watcharapong Thongrung,
Achara Deboonme
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/09/05/headlines/headlines_30047784.php
10 January 2008
AOT to improve walkways of Suvarnabhumi airport by clearing out vendors
Airports of Thailand (AOT) Company Board member Chermsak Pinthong (เจิมศักดิ์ ปิ่นทอง) stated that the company is seeking to improve emergency measures in Suvarnabhumi airport. AOT is seeking to better prepare emergency exits and maximize escape routes during emergency situations.
Mr. Chermsak revealed that the company views that at the moment safety in the airport has been impaired by vendors who have blocked off emergency exits and crowded walkways.
The company board has thus instructed airport executives to standardize all emergency exit passages and maximize walkway flow by organizing vendors and expelling vendors that are blocking crucial areas.
Reporter : RTI-Reporter01
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255101100001
King Power files counter lawsuit against AoT
(BangkokPost.com) - King Power have counter-sued the Airports of Thailand (AoT) with the civil court and demanded 68 billion baht in compensation after the AoT took legal action to evict the company from the commercial space it occupies at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
AoT board spokesman Chirmsak Pinthong said the board’s investigation committee confirmed that King Power Suvarnabhumi Co, had acquired the commercial space contract from AoT without undergoing scrutiny required under the Public-Private Joint Venture Act.
King Power Suvarnabhumi operates other commercial areas at the new airport, while King Power Duty Free Co runs the duty-free shops.
“Everything is now in the hands of the court. We are awaiting word from judicial authorities and will make our next move when the court calls another hearing on January 31,” said Julajit Boonyaket, Vice President of King Power Group.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=125009
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255101100001
Report: Airport fire system disaster in waiting
By Amornrat Mahitthirook
The fire prevention system at Suvarnabhumi airport is substandard, a team of engineers has concluded in a report.
The report, completed by experts at the Engineering Institute of Thailand, is to reach the Airports of Thailand today.
According to the report, fire-fighting equipment as well as installation and maintenance are below standard.
Besides this, smoke and heat detectors and sprinklers do not cover every area of the passenger terminal. Areas that are not covered include some electrical control rooms, corridors and conveyor belt zones.
Apart from being of poor quality, detectors are installed behind wire pipelines and racks and air vents that may hamper their function and obstruct maintenance.
Some sprinklers are out of order.
There are not enough manually operated fire alarm switches. Safety standards require one switch every 60 metres along passages.
The survey team also found some fire controls indicating false fire alarms and malfunctions but these had not been attended to.
Most of the fire exit signs are not sufficiently illuminated and some signs have direction arrows that confuse toilets and fire exits.
A number of electric appliances such as switches are easily broken.
Most wire pipelines are substandard, and this includes poor ground wire installation, it said.
Shops block some fire exits and some fire hose cabinets while some of these hose cabinets have incomplete sets of instruments.
The report also indicated water leakages in electrical control rooms with drops of water falling onto control panels. Many control rooms are made into storage and living quarters.
Flammable perfume and cosmetic products are stored behind illuminated advertisement boxes and partition boards of shops were made of flammable wood, plywood and hardboard.
Besides, a Thai pavilion blocks the airflow to ventilating fans and a large-scale sculpture and a restaurant block passages to fire exits in Concourse D building, the report said.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=125202
AoT: Security loopholes abound at new airport
(BangkokPost.com) - The Airports of Thailand (AoT) admitted that security at Suvarnabhumi Airport is too lax after a Burmese national managed to slip past authorities and board a Turkish airliner.
According to eyewitnesses, the 27-year-old man ran across the airport’s runway unnoticed before boarding a Turkish airliner due to depart at 24:15hrs on Jan 22. The man was later held by authorities after a technical engineer discovered that he was not on the passenger list.
Following the incident, Transport Minister Sansern Wongcha-um urged the AoT to immediately plug security loopholes at the airport to ensure that a similar incident does not occur again in the future.
Authorities found out during an interrogation with the 27-year-old Burmese man that he was attempting to fly to a third country to seek asylum.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=125425
24 January 2008
Deputy Transport Minister urges AoT to expedite safety plan for Suvarnabhumi Airport
Deputy Minister of Transport Sansern Wongcha-um (สรรเสริญ วงศ์ชะอุ่ม) urges the Airports of Thailand (AoT) to expedite safety plan for the Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Mr Sansern says the Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT) under His Majesty the King’s Patronage has informed that the passenger building of the Suvarnabhumi Airport still needs to improve the fire-alarm system, fire extinguishing equipments, and fire exits. Some of the shops which obstruct the emergency exits might be relocated, he says.
Meanwhile, chairman of the EIT’s working group inspecting safety of the airport, Mongkhol Wisutthijai (มงคล วิสุทธิใจ), says the airport is better than other international airports in terms of safety and its security system is approved by foreign countries. However, he suggests that the airport should improve the electricity line system and place fire extinguishing equipments properly.
Reporter : RTI-Reporter05
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255101240016
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=125425
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255101240016
Probe set over airport security scare
By Amornrat Mahitthirook and Wassayos Ngamkham
Suvarnabhumi airport has set up an inquiry into Tuesday's incident in which an illegal Burmese immigrant managed to get into the airport's compound unnoticed and board an empty airliner, raising questions about the airport's security.
Airport director Sereerat Prasutanont said a panel has been given seven days to complete an inquiry.
The inquiry was prompted after the discovery of a Burmese immigrant, identified as Soe Aung, 27, who had slipped into the airport compound from the western boundary and boarded an empty Turkish Airlines plane parked in Bay 502 by climbing a ladder on Tuesday night.
A source said the intruder gave conflicting accounts of how he entered the restricted area and appeared to be mentally unsound.
Airports of Thailand (AoT) immediately stepped up security patrols, improved the lighting and ordered the installation of more security devices to ease concerns.
Mr Sereerat said checks have led them to believe that the Burmese intruder may not have entered the airport compound by crossing three layers of barbed-wire fences at the airport's western boundary, as initially thought.
There were no traces of a break-in in the area.
The immigrant might have hidden in a cargo truck or in a vehicle transporting workers to the airport compound, he said.
The suspect's statement that he cut through the fences, crossed the runways and walked past the cargo warehouse to reach the plane did not sound convincing, he said.
Mr Sereerat denied reports that the suspect was found on board the plane by an airport official making pre-flight checks. He said the official notified airport security personnel that a man was seen walking around the plane.
He said the National Security Council and the immigration police confirmed the immigrant did not have a criminal record.
Footage from surveillance cameras near where the plane was parked would be examined to see how the Burmese immigrant, reported to be an escapee from jail in Malaysia, accessed the airport.
He has initially been charged with trespassing.
Mr Sereerat said the airport's security system was up to standard.
National police chief Pol Gen Seripisuth Temiyavej said airport security was the responsibility of the AoT, not the police, whose job was to merely assist the authority's work.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=125465
Airport security gets serious?
By Amornrat Mahitthirook
Saprang Kalayanamitr, chairman of the board of Airports of Thailand, told AoT president Chana U-sathaporn yesterday to take tough action against those responsible for airport security over the most serious lapse.
Top executives at Suvarnabhumi airport face possible transfer over the security lapse that enabled a Burmese immigrant to sneak into the airport grounds and board an empty Turkish Airlines plane last week.
Both airport executives and outsourced firms are responsible for airport security.
"The management must not compromise when any officer is not suited to his security-related duty. They must transfer that person immediately," Gen Saprang said on Tuesday.
"Those who lack the leadership qualities required for their positions should be transferred to positions that suit them better."
An airport source said the AoT executives facing possible transfer include Suvarnabhumi airport general manager Serirat Prasutanond, airport deputy general manager for operations Flying Officer Chaturongkapon Sodmanee, and the head of the airport security department Suthad Chimjarod.
However, an AoT source said there had been rumours since late last year that Mr Serirat and Don Mueang airport general manager Anirut Thanomkulbutra might switch jobs. The rumour has it that Flying Officer Anirut is a classmate of AM Chana, which could make it easier for AM Chana to implement his policies through F/O Anirut.
A committee was set up to investigate those in charge of Suvarnabhumi airport's security and the intrusion. It must conclude its investigation in seven days, the source said.
The Burmese man was a jail escapee from Malaysia and had planned to go to a third country through Thailand. He has been charged with trespassing.
Gen Saprang said security is the heart of airport business.
He suggested AM Chana immediately take harsh disciplinary action against those who failed to perform their duties properly.
Gen Saprang also chaired his last meeting as board chairman of Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel Co yesterday. He insisted the company's disbursement of the hiring fee for Universal Hospitality Joint Venture, which was contracted to manage Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel, was transparent.
He said the hotel board had been most prudent when preparing the disbursement of the 101-million-baht management fee to the joint venture.
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AoT staff seek police powers of arrest
(BangkokPost.com) – The Airports of Thailand (AoT) is preparing to ask for control of Suvarnabhumi airport, by having the transport ministry declare it a special zone where airport staff can legally arrest anyone they judge is a security threat or somehow harassing passengers.
AoT President Chana Yusathaporn explained that the move was necessary since Suvarnabhumi airport is huge, and that maintaining security there should be a priority.
"Security should be as tight as it is at Don Mueang," he said.
He added that Suvarnabhumi is where most unlicensed taxi drivers and tour guides find their prey.
"They often lure unknowing tourists who arrive here and milk them of their money," he said.
"Airport officials are unable to do anything about them because the law does not support us."
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What a crock of shit the Thaksin Government built! Doubtless we can expect the same corrupt skimping in any megaproject built by the Samak Government:
12 February 2008
Suvarnabhumi Airport to close off eastern runway for repair
Director of Suvarnabhumi Airport under the Airports of Thailand (AOT) Company Limited Serirat Prasutanont (เสรีรัตน์ ประสุตานนท์) revealed that the airport has made plans to repair and maintain its eastern runway.
The runway has received damage over a 600 meter stretch and has prompted the closing off of over 2 thousand meters of track. The shut down will be effective until April 7th. Mr. Serirat affirms though that the runway is 4 thousand meters long and though half of it has been closed off it can still receive the landing of small to medium sized plans such as the ATR, A 319 and A 320.
Maintenance of the stretch of runway will be handed over the IOT Joint Venture, which has insured the track.
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255102110038
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