Suvarnabhumi Airport

Post by **BKKSTAN** » September 21, 2006, 6:08 am

It is going to cause a lot of problems for everyone,if there is not an announcement soon about it!

Post by **BKKSTAN** » September 21, 2006, 6:23 am

Suvarnabhumi Airport opens on schedule

Suvarnabhumi Airport will start full operation according to the schedule of Sept 28, 2006, said Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin today.

Earlier, there were speculations that the coup might further delay the opening of the new airport.

Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT) officials also confirmed that Suvarnabhumi Airport would start full operation as scheduled of September 28, 2006. The Nation

Post by **beer monkey** » September 21, 2006, 3:09 pm

if you look before your posts bkkstan you will see that the info you wanted then posted yourself after has already been posted. in quotes i might add.

Post by **BKKSTAN** » September 21, 2006, 4:44 pm

beer monkey wrote:if you look before your posts bkkstan you will see that the info you wanted then posted yourself after has already been posted. in quotes i might add.

Thanks for pointing out my obvious mistake.I apologize

Post by **beer monkey** » September 23, 2006, 12:06 am

BANGKOK (XFN-ASIA) - Thai Airways said it will start using Bangkok's new airport for three international flights from today, a week ahead of its official opening.

The flag carrier will operate night flights to Seoul, and Beijing and Guangzhou in what will be test runs for the new airport, which is set to open for full commercial use on Thursday (Sept 28).

Suvarnabhumi airport, which name means 'golden land' in Thai, has been in the works for 40 years but suffered repeated delays due to construction problems and allegations of graft.

The new airport, with an initial capacity to serve 45 mln passengers a year, will replace the overburdened Don Muang, which currently handles about 37 mln passengers, 2 mln over its official capacity.

Since Sept 15, Thai Airways has been flying five daily domestic flights from the new airport. All its other flights will be moved there on the official opening date.

Post by **panick** » September 23, 2006, 1:58 am

Help

I'm flying in next Wednesday and staying through till early December,coming via Viena with Austrian Airways.......

Where the hell am I flying back out of in Dec ...Don Muang or Suvarnabhumi

Anyone know

I dont realy want to get the wrong connection flight

Post by **beer monkey** » September 23, 2006, 4:32 am

Don muang will be a shopping centre by then, so it has to be...yes you guessed it suvarnabhumi,The New airport that should be fully operational on the 28th september.

Post by **Stevo** » September 23, 2006, 4:44 am

panick wrote:Help

I'm flying in next Wednesday and staying through till early December,coming via Viena with Austrian Airways.......

Where the hell am I flying back out of in Dec ...Don Muang or Suvarnabhumi

Anyone know I dont realy want to get the wrong connection flight

As stated above, Suvarnabhumi should be fully functional by your departure date...

If you need to confirm with Austrian airways, their Bangkok office number is: 02267 0873

Post by **beer monkey** » September 23, 2006, 4:50 am

have a wee wee before you leave your hotel, as apparantly there is a lack of toilets, before check in.

Post by **panick** » September 23, 2006, 7:57 am

Big thanks to both BM and Stevo

and I'll make sure i'll have a "wee wee" before I leave

.... Hotel

...rented a house this time...must be getting snobby in my old age

Post by **BKKSTAN** » September 23, 2006, 8:12 am

First thing is,you have to worry about is the ''seat belt sign'',if your fellow travelers have been keeping up with the airport reports,all the toilets may get full

Chok Dee

Post by **BKKSTAN** » September 23, 2006, 9:36 am

Special report,The Nation:

Awe-inspiring

Designed by a German architect, Suvarnabhumi looks like a top-class German airport, while its sheer size, interiors and tall, imposing air-traffic control tower leave one breathless...

Once you set foot in the terminal of Suvarnabhumi International Airport the immediate impression is of being inside one of those modern German airports.

The aluminium structure, with cable-stayed glass facade, gives the impression of modern authority and spacious comfort. The terminal stretches out like a monster worm.

The roof of the terminal structure is made of fabric membrane, a synthetic material, which is transparent and looks like canvas. The fabric membrane is not only beautiful to look at, it keeps out the rain while allowing light to brighten the terminal.

"I feel like we're in Munich airport," I said.

"No, it looks more like Dusseldorf. Have you been there?" asks Somchai Sawasdeepon, the general manager of the Airports of Thailand Plc, which is responsible for every development aspect of Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The reason the airport has a German "accent" is because its architect is German-born Helmut Jahn, who owns Murphy Jahn. His previous designs include Chicago Airport and the Sony Centre.

Somchai is proudly showing us around the gigantic terminal of Suvarnabhumi Airport, which, once it opens on September 28, will rival any airport in the region. Apart from Hong Kong airport, Suvarnabhumi is second to none in the region.

Make no mistake about its size. There is a passenger terminal complex connected to the concourse buildings. The combined area of both buildings is 563,000 square metres.

The airport will be able to accommodate an annual 45 million passengers, 76 flights an hour and three million tonnes of cargo handling a year.

It has to deliver because it cost more than Bt113.77 billion.

Somchai has been working night and day to make sure the transition from Don Muang to Suvarnabhumi between September 27 and 28 will be smooth.

"If it has to be open, it has to be open. If you would like to wait until everything is ready, then you might have to wait forever. Because in real life, nothing is perfect," he said.

"But we can assure you that as of today, we are 100 per cent ready to operate the commercial aviation to meet international standards. All the tests have been done."

From the Nation Tower on Bang-na Trad, it takes us about 20 minutes along the Bang-na Trad Road to reach the new airport. Once you pass the Tanayong real estate project, with its huge condominium structures, you make a left turn into the airport. From there, it's four to five kilometres before you reach the terminal.

Will the gravity of the airport shift civilisation to this part of Bangkok? You will have to make your own judgement after the opening.

Our first visit is the VIP terminal but the door into the section is chained, as the airport is not yet open. Security is tight to prevent petty theft. There is still some internal decorating to be done.

"Don't worry, it will all be completed in time," notes Somchai.

We walk inside the VIP area before going out to the boarding area. The airport has a special VIP section installed to welcome members of the Royal family. This section is also in the process of being decorated. But you can see it will be in a grand Thai style, with wood panelling.

The seating area is vast. The seating structure is made of aluminium, which may last for a hundred years. Workers pay attention to minute details of the floor as they race against time.

"Thais are good at beating deadlines," said Somchai as he points to the shopping areas, which are still being fitted out.

"Once we're open, the duty-free shops here will rival any where in the region - even better than Dubai," he claimed.

You have to wear sports shoes if you want to visit most of the shops in the duty-free area because of the sheer length of the terminal. Outside the terminal, you can see the control tower standing like a Tower of Babel. At 132.2 metres, it is the world's tallest.

We then emerge out of the boarding area, go through the immigration counters (where are the e-passports?) to the check-in areas. There are hundreds of luggage pieces and all kinds of bags in front of the check-in counters.

The airport has just completed a rehearsal of how the luggage will travel from the check-in, along the running belt before going to the baggage handlers who will actually stow them on the aircraft.

Somchai said the test-runs are going well as the airport has recruited hundreds of people in the military to help carry the luggage during test runs.

Since the airport is big, we take a golf cart to visit some other places inside the terminal. It looks cool because you feel like you're a VIP.

We are driven to Level 2 of the concourse area where giant sculptures are on display. This represents the highlight of art in Suvarnabhumi.

Originally, the airport's authorities wanted to place the Suphanahongse Royal Barge to honour His Majesty an individual - who bestowed the name Suvarnabhumi - inside the airport. But an individual viewed that the swamp area of Nong Ngu Hao might not be appropriate to house the Royal Barge, and recommended a Scene of the Churning of the Milk Ocean instead.

We stand in awe in front of the giant sculptures: Lord Vishnu presides over the churning of the milk-ocean - representing indefinite prosperity.

Somchai is still living happily at his home in Muang Ek in Rangsit. He has to drive a round trip of 140 kilometres to work every day.

Asked whether he will consider moving to somewhere nearer the airport, he said he is happy where he is. "Once I get on the expressway, it only takes me 40-45 minutes to reach the airport. It is not that far," he said.

But between now and the opening, Somchai will have several sleepless nights.

Thanong Khanthong

The Nation

Post by **beer monkey** » September 23, 2006, 3:26 pm

But between now and the opening, Somchai will have several sleepless nights.

and for a few months after.

Post by **BKKSTAN** » September 24, 2006, 9:25 am

From the Post:

Ghostly encounters at Suvarnabhumi

By Amornrat Mahitthirook

Airports of Thailand (AoT) organised its largest religious rite at the new Suvarnabhumi airport yesterday to ward off evil spirits, only to experience an encounter with the unexplained. Rumours of occasional ''ghostly sightings'' have gone around since the first foundation brick was laid at the airport many years ago. The AoT is determined to correct the growing perception that the airport is possibly harbouring some ''uninvited inhabitants'' and to put its staff members' minds at ease.

Yesterday's rite was presided over by 99 monks who chanted en masse to improve the luck of the new airport, set to open commercially on Thursday.

However, halfway through the rite, a man appeared, quivering, and began to speak in a commanding voice claiming to be ''Poo Ming'', a guardian spirit of the land partially developed into the airport.

He ordered that a proper spirit house be built at the airport to allow for its smooth operation. The man, who was unidentified, later passed out and woke up to find the spirit had left him.

AoT president Chotisak Asapaviriya said the ceremony helped to boost the morale of airport staff, some of whom were unnerved after learning of frequent car crashes on the road running parallel to the airport's eastern runway.

Some veiled figures have sometimes been spotted on the 6km-long road.

Somchai Sawasdeepon, the airport general manager, said he had heard ghost stories from staff who came across a woman dressed in a Thai-style costume at the airport construction site in the evening.

He said the airport land formerly belonged to some local communities encompassing the centuries-old Wat Nhong Prue and its cemetery. It was reported that the bodies had not been exhumed for proper religious cremation.

Sqn Ldr Panupong Nualthongyai, head of Suvarnabhumi airport security, was also a witness to some strange, unexplained episodes.

''Whatever you make of it, it is the belief associated with the Thai way of life. For the non-believer, it is best not to act disrespectfully [towards the supernatural],'' he said.

Spooky?

valentine · Post by **valentine** » September 24, 2006, 10:16 am

As a pilot I wonder about the wisdom of building the worlds highest, 132.2mtr control tower? It is normal aviation practise to make these as low as possible subject to surrounding visibility. It is a bit ridiculous to make the very structure that is supposed to ensure safety of the aircraft, the major hazard on your approach. I hope the description given 'Standing like a tower of Babel" doesn't become a prophecy

Post by **jetdoc** » September 24, 2006, 10:36 am

If they built it on the localizer, that would be rediculus;o) If centerally located for good view of taxiways/runways shouldn't be a problem unless the pilot is lost --- happened to me lots of times;o)

Post by **BKKSTAN** » September 24, 2006, 11:55 am

valentine wrote:As a pilot I wonder about the wisdom of building the worlds highest, 132.2mtr control tower? It is normal aviation practise to make these as low as possible subject to surrounding visibility. It is a bit ridiculous to make the very structure that is supposed to ensure safety of the aircraft, the major hazard on your approach. I hope the description given 'Standing like a tower of Babel" doesn't become a prophecy

Maybe the Thais have decided VOR approaches are going to be the future for their perceived ''Great Asian Hub''!Therefore more air traffic to bragg about,if pilots that are not yet instrument rated(I qualify) can see ''the tower of babble''!

Wow,look at all those Cessna 150's!Somebody get the mosquito spray

Post by **jingjai** » September 24, 2006, 3:12 pm

I recieved this from my embassy last week, the airports website is

http://www.bangkokairportonline.com/
>From: American Citizen Services - Bangkok <acsbkk@state.gov>
>Subject: OPENING OF NEW BANGKOK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
>Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 10:33:40 +0700
>
>>OPENING OF NEW BANGKOK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
>
>1. This Public Announcement is being issued to alert U.S. citizens of
>the potential impact the opening of Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi
>International Airport may have on travelers arriving in and departing
>Thailand. The Suvarnabhumi International Airport will replace
Bangkok's
>current airport, Don Muang, and is scheduled to begin operations in
>mid-September. Delays stemming from the phase-in of initial
operations
>at Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK) are inevitable and
travelers
>should plan accordingly. Additionally, international travelers
arriving
>during the phase-in period may be required to travel from Suvarnabhumi
>airport to Don Muang airport to catch their domestic flight. Limited
>domestic service on Thai Airways will shift from Don Muang Airport to
>Suvarnabhumi International Airport on September 15. Current plans
call
>for full international service at Suvarnabhumi beginning September 29.
>These dates are subject to change. Suvarnabhumi will inherit Don
>Muang's "BKK" international airport code and Don Muang will be recoded
>as "DBK". Therefore, travelers are strongly encouraged to reconfirm
>destinations with airlines if your travel falls on or near these
dates.
>Information on the new airport can be found at:
>http://www.bangkokairportonline.com/.
>
>2. Suvarnabhumi International Airport is located 18 miles (30
>kilometers) east of downtown Bangkok and is approximately a thirty
>minute drive to/from downtown Bangkok in light traffic; this time is
>roughly equivalent to that for the existing airport. However, the
drive
>time could be longer due to Bangkok's ubiquitous unpredictable
traffic.
>The new airport will have no taxi facilities in the main terminal.
>Arriving passengers who need a taxi will have to board an airport
>shuttle bus from the main terminal to a nearby taxi and bus terminal.
>
>
>3. The only convenient hotel near Suvarnabhumi International Airport
for
>overnight or same day transit stops in Bangkok is the Novotel
>Suvarnbhumi. The hotel is located immediately in front of the airport
>terminal.
>
>4. American citizens traveling to and from Thailand during the
planned
>phase-in period are encouraged to contact their airlines for
additional
>details and to plan accordingly.
>
>
>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
>To subscribe or unsubscribe to this list, go to:
><http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/embassy/acsemaillist.htm>
>The U.S. Embassy Consular Section is located at 95 Wireless Road,
>Bangkok 10330, Thailand (Nearest BTS Skytrain station: Phloen Chit)
>American Citizen Services Unit Window Hours:
>Monday - Friday, 7:30 - 11 AM and 1 - 2 PM
>Note: The ACS unit is CLOSED on the last Friday of every month.
>Tel: +66-2-205-4049 Fax: +66-2-205-4103
>E-mail: acsbkk@state.gov <mailto:acsbkk@state.gov>

Post by **BKKSTAN** » September 24, 2006, 4:45 pm

Just doesn't sound like a good traveling experience to me!I'm glad that I am not traveling now.I will be amazed if this airport really is a challege to HK and Singapore as the Asian Hub?

Post by **beer monkey** » September 25, 2006, 3:09 am

Suvarnabhumi to open on schedule

The Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM) yesterday confirmed that Suvarnabhumi Airport will open early on Thurs-day, as scheduled before last week's coup.
However, there will be no opening ceremony.

"We are just moving from Bangkok International Airport to Suvarnabhumi. No one is
going to chair a ceremony on Thursday," said Airports of Thailand (AOT) Plc president Chotisak Asapaviriya yesterday.

He said the opening ceremony for the new airport would take place only when royal approval was given.

Chotisak was speaking after he, Transport Ministry Perma-nent Secretary Wanchai Sara-thulthat, Suvarnabhumi Airport director Somchai Sawasdipol, and Thai Airways International (THAI) president Apinan Suma-naseni met with the CDRM to report on the progress of Suvarnabhumi Airport, which is located just east of Bangkok.

CDRM deputy spokesman Maj-General Thawip Netniyom said yesterday the CDRM had agreed to inspect the new airport within the next few days and to provide personnel support.

Chotisak said the CDRM was going to provide 800 military staff to the AOT and 500 to THAI to ensure a smooth opening of the airport.

"The military staff can assist us with the transportation of equipment from the old facilities. They can also help move luggage in case of emergency," Chotisak said.

Apinan said THAI had already made more than 800 trips to move equipment from the old airport. He said that more than 1,000 trips would be made to move equipment on Wednesday.

Somchai said he had already informed the CDRM of all preparations for the opening of Suvarnahumi, including when the last flight from Don Muang would be and when the closing ceremony for the old facility would take place.

He also said the CDRM had been informed that decorations for some airlines' lounges at the new airport were not yet complete.

"THAI is going to allow these other airlines to share its lounges in the meantime," he said.

Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Department director-general Chaiyasak Angsuwan said Suvarnabhumi's safety standards were in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation's requirements.