Anything & Everything about Thailand (Part 2)

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Friday 12 January 2007 :-

AoT backs rebirth of Don Muang - Old airport to service some domestic routes

The board of Airports of Thailand Plc yesterday approved the use of Don Muang for domestic flights with no international connections and set March 15 as the possible date for the relaunch of services at the old airport.

In an attempt to save costs from expanding Suvarnabhumi airport and to fully use its existing infrastructure, the board led by chairman Gen Saprang Kalayanamitr decided to move to Don Muang domestic flights with no connections to international routes operated by Thai Airways International (THAI) and no-frills carriers. Domestic flights with passengers connecting with international routes will remain at Suvarnabhumi.

It targeted March 15 for the resumption of regular services for Don Muang, which was closed on Sept 28, when the country's main airport moved to Suvarnabhumi.

The March 15 date was set to allow sufficient time to prepare for an expected surge in air travel to the provinces during the Songkran holiday.

Sources in the Airports of Thailand (AoT) board said its president Chotisak Asapaviriya told the meeting that the March 15 move was possible. However, he told reporters afterwards that he could not guarantee complete success.

The decision was based on a study by AoT to compare the advantages and disadvantages of expanding Suvarnabhumi against relocating domestic services to Don Muang.

The use of Don Muang to ease air traffic at Suvarnabhumi would give officials more flexibility to fix a number of problems at the new airport, sources said.

Mr Chotisak said the board has directed AoT to work on the details of the use of Don Muang and forward them to the Transport Ministry _ which oversees the airport agency _ within two weeks. After that the ministry, which has already made clear its preference for Don Muang, needs cabinet approval for the plan.

Based on the current volume of passengers, Suvarnabhumi will serve 42 million passengers a year, just three million shy of its full capacity.

Don Muang accommodated almost 39 million passengers a year before it was closed to regular flights. It currently services only chartered and special flights.

Moving domestic flights with no connections to Don Muang will defer plans to expand the new airport, including the need to build a new terminal to service only local flights in the future.

The move will boost revenues at Don Muang, which currently earns only 500,000 baht a month from the chartered and special flights.

Don Muang director Pinit Saraithong said the airport was ready for the return to services because none of the facilities, including ground and safety equipment, had been moved to Suvarnabhumi.

However, he said the airport needed about 45 days to prepare for the return of regular passengers and to hire more security staff. With existing facilities, Don Muang could serve up to 15 million passengers a year for a decade, he added.

Airlines with domestic services - THAI, Nok Air, Thai AirAsia and One-Two-Go - supported yesterday's decision.

Bangkok Airways could not be reached for comment.

THAI president Apinan Sumanaseni said the national flag carrier needed one month to move some equipment and hire more staff to be stationed at Don Muang but he said it was not a serious problem for the airline.

Mr Apinan said flights serving popular destinations among international passengers such as Phuket, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Hat Yai could remain at Suvarnabhumi.

Nok Air CEO Patee Sarasin praised the decision, which could save AoT at least 1.4 billion baht from constructing a new domestic building at Suvarnabhumi.

One-Two-Go chief executive and founder Udom Tantiprasongchai also hailed the decision, saying it was a ''good decision'' to shift domestic routes to Don Muang.

But Thai AirAsia CEO Tassapon Bijleveld said the move to Don Muang should be on a voluntary basis. He admitted that the move would affect Thai AirAsia, which needed to rotate its fleets between international and domestic flights.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Friday 12 January 2007 :-

Tourism: Bomb blasts to cause 600,000 drop in foreign tourists in 1st quarter

Thailand's tourism revenue in the first quarter will be slashed by Bt8 billion as the number of foreign tourists should drop by 600,000 due to the bomb blasts in Bangkok, according to Kasikorn Research Centre.

It was originally expected that in 2007 Bangkok would welcome 15 million tourists, up 9 per cent from last year, who would spend Bt220 billion.

However, the New Year's Eve bombings which claimed three lives and injured some foreigners, forced many countries to issue travel warnings. The higher number of patrolling police officers in the capital will also damage the overall environment.

"This should reduce the tourist arrivals by 600,000 in the first quarter, 17 per cent down from the target," the research centre said.

To restore confidence and boost arrivals in the remaining three quarters, the centre urged the government to maintain the police presence all year round, not just during the festive season.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Friday 12 January 2007 :-

South Korean visitors to Thailand exceed one million

Visitors to Thailand from South Korea crossed the one million mark last year, above the Tourism Authority of Thailand Seoul office's target of 970,000.

This achievement is significant, representing an increase of nearly 20 per cent over the 815,862 visitors to the Kingdom in 2005. It was a result of aggressive pro-active marketing campaigns with industry partners and via online marketing.

"We went particularly strong on Web marketing campaigns, partnering with Daum, one of Korea's hugely popular online media websites which has millions of registered members and records millions of transactions per day, as well as other partner websites such as N Tour and Epson," said Sasi-apha Sukontarat, director of TAT Seoul.

Even with regular inbound group tours flowing steadily during the peak season, a special effort was made to target quality visitors in line with the new policy of the Thai government. These key niche markets comprise families, working professionals, students, golfers, honeymooners and incentive groups.

Travel by these individuals is not limited to peak season.

Thailand is the third-most important destination for Korean visitors after China and Japan. South Korea has become one of the fastest-growing source markets for the last few years, thanks to visa-free access and plentiful airline seat capacity to Bangkok as well as to regional airports like Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and U-tapao.

Korean Airlines, Asiana and Orient Thai Airlines all fly direct services from Korea to Thailand, with many other passengers coming via intermediate points like Taipei and Hong Kong.

In 2005, Korean visitors recorded a daily average per capita expenditure of US$ 102.4 (Bt3,685), generating foreign exchange earnings of $718.46 million.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Saturday 13 January 2007 :-

IATA blasts AoT decision to shift flights - Don Muang looks set to make a comeback

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said yesterday that a decision by Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) to shift some commercial flights back to Don Muang would dampen Bangkok's potential for becoming an aviation hub. Making flight connections between two airports would be a huge inconvenience for passengers, and might further damage the attractiveness of Thailand as a tourist destination, the world's largest airline trade group said.

Responding to a query from the Bangkok Post, Albert Tjoeng, the IATA spokesman for Asia-Pacific, said: ''Imagine a passenger arriving in Suvarnabhumi and having to catch a connecting domestic flight or no-frills flight from Don Muang. How long will that connection take including baggage collection, travel from Suvarnabhumi to Don Muang and then check-in for the next flight? If an airport wants to be a hub, it is important to keep the connection time low.''

IATA has always supported the Thai governments' policy of having a single airport for Bangkok, largely because it would provide easy connections for passengers and facilitate airline operations.

Mr Tjoeng said that if AoT insisted on going ahead with the reopening of Don Muang for commercial flights, then it had to ensure a level playing field for all airlines.

While the landing and parking fees at both Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports are the same, the cost of renting space at Don Muang would be cheaper.

Several Bangkok-based airline managers yesterday expressed support for AoT's decision to shift point-to-point domestic flights back to Don Muang in a move to relieve congestion at four-month-old Suvarnabhumi.

They said it was the best immediate solution to unresolved problems, including insufficient toilet facilities, cracking taxiways and heavy traffic at the new airport, which is already nearing its designed annual capacity of 45 million passengers.

This scenario could benefit passengers travelling domestic point-to-point routes, as well as the airlines, in that they would be processed through a more accessible, roomy and complete airport.

Airline executives estimated that Suvarnabhumi could be relieved of as much as 30% of its traffic load by transferring selected flights to Don Muang. This would prolong the service lifespan of Bangkok's troubled new airport, particularly at a time when the government remains indecisive about the airport's expansion.

Thai Airways International president Apinan Sumanaseni yesterday expressed support for AoT's decision. He said THAI was prepared to move point-to-point domestic flights to Don Muang while keeping those requiring connecting international flights, such as those from Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi, at Suvarnabhumi.

THAI operates about 300 domestic flights a week.

At least three airlines that offer domestic services including One-Two-Go, Nok Air and Thai AirAsia, have shown no objection to the move.

IATA said there was urgent need to build a new mid-field terminal to create additional capacity for Suvarnabhumi.

However, Apichart Sankary, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), said using dual airports may not suit tour operators as they would need to provide facilities at both, entailing more cost and time.

He said that AoT should be open about the problems at Suvarnabhumi airport in order to allow private sectors to prepare operations accordingly.

He said if the government wanted to use two airports, the airport-link project should link to Don Muang as well.

He said some big cities had two airports but they had efficient transport links.

Maiyarat Pheerayakoses, managing director of Lee Ben Travel Service Co, said that if the government wanted to use Don Muang, a transport link between the two airports was vital because passengers would choose to fly to the airport destination with the most convenient facilities.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Saturday 13 January 2007 :-

Don Muang plan due next month

The plan to move non-connecting domestic flights from Suvarnabhumi back to Don Muang airport should be finalised by early next month at the latest, according to Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen. He said yesterday he had acknowledged the decision of the Airports of Thailand (AoT) board to move point-to-point domestic flights back to Don Muang. He is waiting for the details before making a decision. Adm Theera said he would agree to the partial return on condition that it would not affect Suvarnabhumi's goal of becoming a regional air transport hub, or the convenience of passengers who need connecting international flights.

''I need to see the details from the AoT first to consider all the pros and cons as there is also a plan to use Don Muang for other commercial purposes such as aircraft maintenance.

''I must also consider the income of Don Muang, which must be self-reliant,'' the minister said.

He said AoT has told airlines of the planned return. Coordination with other agencies is under way and the plan should be concluded early in February at the latest.

His deputy Sansern Wongcha-um said the Transport Ministry and cabinet would not take long to consider the Don Muang project. His principle is that those domestic flights returning to Don Muang must be point-to-point and on a voluntary basis.

He said a detailed study would conclude if Don Muang should return to service temporarily or permanently.

At least the return would postpone additional investment in Suvarnabhumi airport for four to five years, including a separate 1.4-billion-baht terminal for no-frills airlines, he added.

Apinan Sumanaseni, president of Thai Airways International, said Don Muang should resume service permanently for domestic flights regardless of the point-to-point principle while Suvarnabhumi should serve international flights.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Business Times (Malaysia) dated Saturday 13 January 2007 :-

Thai AirAsia to open more China routes, eyes India

BANGKOK : While its founders continue to break new grounds with the start of long-haul operations to destinations like London, Thai AirAsia is expanding its wings to more destinations in China and penetrating into India.
Chief Executive Officer Tassapon Bijleveld said the three-year-old airline, which flew three million passengers in 2006, will focus on opening three to four routes in middle and small size cities in China this year before going into the untapped markets in India.

He said among the cities in China being considered are Kunming, Guangzhou and Shenzhen while in India, it hopes to fly to Chennai, Bangalore, Calcutta and Bodhgaya which is the spiritual home of Buddhists and also several cities along the Indian border with Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Tassapon, who worked with Warner Music Thailand before joining Thai AirAsia at its inception in 2004, said the China and Indian market would be accessible with the entry of new aircraft, adding that it would have 40 Airbus within five years.

"All these destinations are within the range of our aircraft. We have 11 aircraft in operation now and one for spare and we will be getting three more Airbus and two Boeing this year," he said in an interview here yesterday.

Citing China as a huge and untapped market, Tassapon said even smaller and middle size cities have population of more than 10 million with attractive tourism products and beautiful scenery along the Yangtze River.

At the moment, Thai AirAsia flies to Xiamen and Macau in China, besides other overseas destinations - Phnom Penh, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Yangon, Singapore, Hanoi and Langkawi.

On destinations in the South-East Asia, Tassapon said they would fly to Manila at the end of this year while other routes in the pipeline are Bali, Jakarta and Vientiane.

He said Thai AirAsia did well last year despite the stiff competition.

"We achieved our target of flying three million passengers, with average of 80 percent load factor," he added.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Monday 15 January 2007 :-

Don Muang airport : Call for partial opening only

Only the domestic passenger terminal at Don Muang airport should be reopened, for use by non-connecting domestic flights, if the government decides the old airport should resume operations, THAI president Apinan Sumanaseni said yesterday.

He was commenting on calls for the reopening of Don Muang to relieve the increasingly congested new Suvarnabhumi airport.

Mr Apinan said although part of the international terminal could be used for domestic flights, the building was not designed for local flights and airlines and passengers would find it less convenient.

At the international building, passengers frequently have to walk nearly one kilometre from their plane to the baggage conveyor, but they can take a short cut and walk only 200 metres if their plane parks at the concourse of the domestic building.

There are two international buildings at Don Muang - terminals 1 and 2.

The focus is on Terminal 1 after Don Muang airport director Pinit Saraithong suggested that it should serve domestic flights.

The building has been used for charter flights since Don Muang airport was closed in August.

According to Mr Pinit, the use of both the domestic and international buildings would be more expensive.

Airports of Thailand (AoT) president Chotisak Asapaviriya said he agreed with THAI's proposal if it was done for the sake of passengers.

However, airport fees at Don Muang airport had to be the same as those at Suvarnabhumi airport, he said.

The AoT board last week supported moving point-to-point domestic flights back to Don Muang.

This would allow postponement of additional investment in facilities, including a new passenger terminal, at Suvarnabhumi airport for four to five years.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Tuesday 16 January 2007 :-

Only three airlines set to move to Don Muang Airport

Only three carriers including Thai Airways International are prepared to move their non-connecting domestic operations to Don Muang Airport, raising questions whether the shift would ease crowding at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The other two airlines that are prepared to move are the budget carriers One-Two-Go and Nok Air, whereas Thai AirAsia and Bangkok Airways have opted to remain at the new airport.

Their willingness to move point-to-point domestic flights to the old airport is driven by a desire to relieve passengers and staff of the inconveniences and frustration they are enduring at Suvarnabhumi.

On the passenger side, the problems involve long queues for check-in, long waits for baggage and long walks to boarding gates, while airlines have been subject to flight delays due to poor traffic management and congestion.

THAI, One-Two-Go and Nok Air are reportedly prepared to pay the additional costs in setting up separate operations at Don Muang, which was closed on Sept 28 when Suvarnabhumi opened.

However, Thai AirAsia and Bangkok Airways prefer to stay at Suvarnabhumi due partly to the high costs of operating at two sites. They also do not want to lose connections with their international flights.

Both Nok Air chief executive Patee Sarasin and One-Two-Go vice-chairman Kajit Habanananda said yesterday that passengers' convenience overshadowed the incremental costs involved in setting up again at Don Muang.

"We are ready to go back to Don Muang on 30 days' notice," Mr Patee said, adding that all of Nok Air's current flights were domestic point-to-point.

Mr Kajit said One-Two-Go was prepared to absorb and costs arising from move and would not pass it on to passengers.

THAI president Apinan Sumanaseni said that the sooner the national carrier could move its non-connecting flights to Don Muang, the better it would be for its passengers, who are mostly Thais.

Both Mr Apinan and Mr Kajit said their airlines could start their flights out of Don Muang on March 15.

Meanwhile, Bangkok Airways said its operations had been built around Suvarnabhumi and that Don Muang was not in its plans. M.L. Nandhika Varavarn, vice-president for corporate communication, said 90% of Bangkok Airways' passengers were foreigners who required connections with international flights.

Thai AirAsia chief executive Tassapon Bijleveld said that unless Airports of Thailand Plc allowed it to also shift its international services to Don Muang, it would rather remain at Suvarnabhumi. "We cannot afford to split our operations at two sites. It doesn't make economic sense."

Instead, Mr Tassapon urged AoT to speed up consideration of a plan it had outlined earlier to build a special terminal for budget carriers at Suvarnabhumi.

Aviation analysts estimate anywhere from 15% to 30% of the load at Suvarnabhumi could be reduced by reopening Don Muang for commercial flights.

Mr Apinan said THAI could make a "significant" contribution by moving.

The national carrier operates about 300 domestic flights a week. It wants to offer certain flights on three domestic routes frequented by foreign tourists - from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi - at Suvarnabhumi to facilitate connections.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[Happywheel]

Thailand suspended all-high level meetings with Singapore


Thailand Tuesday decided to suspend indefinitely all high level meetings including the planned summit later this year and a ministerial dialogue next month with Singapore as a result of the island's insensitivity to Thailand's political development.

Krit Garnjanagoonchorn, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Tuesday summoned Singapore ambassador Peter Chan to lodge Thailand's protest of Singapore's action and Thaksin's interview on the island, which he used to attack the current government. "We want to show our dissatisfaction," said the ministry spokesman, Kitti Wasinond at the press conference.

Last week, Peter informed Foreign Minister Niyta Phibunsonggram and Krit Garnjanagoonchorn, permanent secretary, that Thaksin would be visiting Singapore for four days on a private visit. Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar would also host him a private lunch. The ministry informed the prime minister without any word of caution. But on Monday, Thaksin granted an interview to the foreign media, which Thailand viewed as unfriendly act.

The Nation

Will suspend my trip to bangkok too. Forsee the Immigration will give s'pore tourists a hard time

the junta government really suck

[Happywheel]

It regrets Thai government's decision to cancel exchange programme and rescind invitation to Foreign Minister George Yeo to attend a joint meeting

By Irene Ngoo
Jan 16, 2007
AsiaOne

Singapore says it is "saddened" that Thailand had decided to cancel a civil service exchange programme with Singapore and rescind its invitation to Foreign Minister George Yeo to attend the joint meeting in Bangkok at the end of this month, in what is seen as a protest against a meeting between ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar last weekend.

The latest Thai diplomatic retaliation came shortly after Singapore's ambassador to Thailand, Mr Peter Chan, was summoned by the Thai Foreign Ministry permanent secretary earlier today to explain why Mr Thaksin was allowed to meet such a top government figure in the city-state.

The Singapore Foreign Ministry had said Mr Thaksin was in Singapore for a private visit and had requested to meet Professor Jayakumar, who is an "old friend."

"We expressed dissatisfaction with the incident and the explanation made by Singapore authorities," Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Kitti Wasinondh said today, explaining why the Thai government was suspending the Thailand-Singapore Civil Service Exchange Programme (CSEP) and cancelling the CSEP coordinating meeting that was scheduled to be held from Jan 29 to 31. Bangkok also rescinded an invitation to Minister Yeo to attend the joint meeting.



"Singapore should be more cautious about allowing such movements since we have already revoked Thaksin's diplomatic passport," added the spokesman, who said Singapore's ambassador was informed of the Thai government's decision during his meeting with foreign ministry permanent secretary Krit Garnjana-Goonchorn.

The Singapore Foreign Ministry, in response to media queries on Thailand's action, said in a statement tonight: "The Singapore Government hopes that Thailand can appreciate Singapore's position on the visit.

"The Thai Government did not notify us that Dr Thaksin has been charged for any offence. There is also no restriction on where he can travel to. He had chosen to make a visit to Singapore on his own. Dr Thaksin had asked to meet Deputy Prime Minister Professor S Jayakumar, who is an old friend.

"It was purely a social and private meeting. No official calls or meetings were arranged. Thai nationals do not require visas to visit Singapore. There is no reason for Singapore to turn Dr Thaksin away. Prior to Singapore, Dr Thaksin had also visited several other countries without any protest by the Thai Government."

The statement said Singapore was "saddened" that the Thai government had chosen to take this course of action."

"We hope Thailand will respect Singapore's position as that of a sovereign country. We value the longstanding friendly relations with Thailand," it added.

Since his removal in a military coup on Sept 19, Mr Thaksin has spent most of his time travelling to London, Beijing, Hong Kong, Bali and now Singapore, where he is expected to stay for a couple more days before leaving for China, said an AFP report.

He also used his Singapore visit to give his first televised interview since his ouster, telling the American media that he had no intention of returning to Thai politics and had nothing to do with the bomb blasts in the capital on New Year's Eve, which the military has blamed on his political supporters. He also warned that the Thai public would not tolerate military rule in the kingdom for long.

Thai military government muzzling media coverage on Thaksin

AP reports: The military council that removed Thaksin has renewed attempts to muzzle the media and its coverage of Thaksin. The generals asked broadcasters last week to limit coverage of comments by Thaksin and his representatives in the name of national unity, prompting a media outcry. But the government succeeded in blocking certain broadcasts.

A CNN interview with Thaksin broadcast elsewhere on Monday evening was not shown in Thailand.

Cable TV provider UBC decided "not to broadcast the interview," said a UBC official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. The official said there had been no particular order from coup leaders not to air the interview.

CNN spokeswoman Yvonne Yuen at the network's Asian headquarters in Hong Kong had no immediate comment.

"We are unable to comment on the action taken by affiliates," she said.

Since the coup, the military and the temporary government it installed have blamed Thaksin and his supporters for trying to cause unrest to destabilize the country. Thaksin has denied the allegations, for which no evidence has been produced.

Thaksin has been barred from returning to the country since the coup.

In the CNN interview, Thaksin repeated that he has retired from politics.

"Enough is enough," he said, adding that it was time to "contribute to the Thai society outside the political arena."

In a separate interview published Monday in The Wall Street Journal, Thaksin said he would not try to return to power.

"I reassure them they shouldn't feel worried about me," he said, adding that he will not seek to regain his old job, but will remain a member of his political party.
Reader's comment
An AsiaOne reader, Mr Eng Frank, who read this story, immediately posted his comments on AsiaOne, saying: "The new Thai government appointed after the coup is practising strong arm bullying tactic as far as the recent visit by the ousted former PM to Singapore is concerned.

"Why don't they summon the Chinese High Com,US High Com,British High Com and Indonesian High Com to give an account as to why their governments provide free travel and freedom for Mr Thaksin to stay?"

[KatoeyLover69]

Originally Posted by Happywheel

Will suspend my trip to bangkok too. Forsee the Immigration will give s'pore tourists a hard time

the junta government really suck

The Thai Govt is only making a 'political decision' and has nothing against normal S'poreans.

If I were you, don't be so 'kiasi' and go ahead to visit Bangkok

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 17 January 2007 :-

Commentary : Re-opening Don Muang Airport makes sense

By Boonsong Kositchotethana

It is a sensible move by the Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) to finally decide to heed the aviation experts' advice to shift point-to-point domestic commercial flights from Suvarnabhumi Airport back to the old Don Muang base. The AoT's resolution made last Thursday should be regarded as the only practical solution available in the short term to deal with the congestion at Bangkok's new international airport barely four months after its opening, which has been full of deficiencies.

The re-opening of the 92-year-old airport for non-connecting domestic flights could potentially relieve 15-30% of the load from Suvarnabhumi, which is expected to reach its full capacity of handling 45 million passengers this year.

Shifting some commercial flights to Don Muang would limit the magnitude of extensive problems - which have plagued the new airport right from day one - from escalating further.

The estimated size of traffic relief, even though it may look small, is beneficial to all parties concerned, especially domestic passengers, who have to endure an unpleasant travel experience through Suvarnabhumi.

The traffic relief becomes even more critical if one considers that part of the new airport needs to be closed down to facilitate fixing, which is sorely needed.

If the decision to redirect domestic services back to Don Muang makes so much common sense, there is no reason why Transport Minister Thira Haocharoen should come out to express reservations about the move.

It is less than necessary for Adm Thira to drag his feet by organising another brainstorming session to weigh the pros and cons of re-opening Don Muang for non-connecting domestic flights before seeking cabinet approval.

Perhaps the issue has already been sufficiently debated and the outcome has pointed clearly to the fact that Don Muang indeed offers an immediate and tangible solution to the woes at Suvarnabhumi.

This is the kind of damage control initiative which the AoT should now begin to seriously adopt and immediately put into action to correct all the flaws seen at Suvarnabhumi.

However, re-directing some commercial flights to Don Muang on a voluntary basis starting on March 15, should not be taken as a move to deviate from the government's single-airport policy for Bangkok, which should continue to be unwaveringly pursued.

Don Muang should not be revived as a second Bangkok international airport, but should be retained as an alternate airport, providing spare capacity for Suvarnabhumi when needed, like it is now, and for emergency purposes.

With extensive infrastructure already in place there, Don Muang can be given a major new role _ a platform for developing a truly world-class aerospace industry.

These include aircraft repair, maintenance, refurbishment and painting, serving massive numbers of aircraft flying now and in the future.

But it is imperative for the government, which owns 70% in AoT, to immediately push the airport monopoly, which has seemed indifferent to complaints and criticism from the public and industry, into action mode by fixing problems at the new airport.

Indeed, complaints and deficiencies, along with a list of recommendations on fixing the problems, have been well documented by all parties concerned, even before its Sept 28 opening.

The AoT has known too well about drawbacks in the baggage systems, cracking taxiways, toilet shortages, poor air-conditioning and lighting and overall terminal cleanliness, etc.

The AoT has identified 61 problem areas at Suvarnabhumi - the result of widespread corruption, project mismanagement, poor and substandard construction work and materials - which is now estimated to require about 1.5 billion baht to fix.

As important as fixing the problems, the authorities must come up with a clear and committed airport strategy, giving a specific role for Suvarnabhumi as the kingdom's aviation hub. It is therefore crucial for the AoT to proceed now with the expansion of the new airport, which was put on the back burner.

Boonsong Kositchotethana is Deputy Assignment Editor (Business), Bangkok Post.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Wednesday 17 January 2007 :-

Two groups opposed to reuse of Don Muang Airport

The Association of Domestic Travel (ADT) and Thai Hotels Association (THA) voiced their objection to a plan to move most of domestic flights from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Don Muang Airport because it would cause inconvenience to travellers.

ADT's president Charoen Wangananont, said the using of two airports in Bangkok would not help travellers both domestically and internationally because some of these travellers who had to transit from domestic routes to international routes would face the obstacles from having to travel from one airport to the other.

The two airports are located far apart without mass transportation system to connect them yet.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Wednesday 17 January 2007 :-

Opposition to Don Muang Airport plan mounts

Travel and hotel bodies warn of inconvenience, especially to international travellers

The Association of Domestic Travel (ADT) and the Thai Hotels Association (THA) yesterday voiced their objection to a plan to move most domestic flights from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Don Muang Airport as it would inconvenience travellers.

ADT president Charoen Wangananont said the use of two airports in Bangkok would not help, because those who had to fly on both routes would have to travel from one airport to the other.

The two airports are located far apart without a mass-transportation system to connect them yet.

"Imagine people living in Ubon Ratchathani province who have to travel abroad. They will need to get a flight to Don Muang Airport and then take a bus or a taxi to Suvarnabhumi Airport, which could take two or three hours on the road, said Charoen.

"This will annoy travellers."

Earlier this month, the Airports of Thailand (AOT) board of directors approved moving most of the domestic flights from Suvarnabhumi to Don Muang tentatively from March, due to traffic congestion at Suvarnabhumi. The Cabinet is set to make a decision at its meeting next week.

Charoen said although AOT had said it would maintain domestic flights with international connection, such as Phuket, at Suvarnabhumi, some travellers connecting to other flights to Phuket from elsewhere would have to go to Don Muang.

"The connecting flight time might take longer than flying between Suvarnabhumi and Phuket," he said. Passengers will end up paying more for transportation. Charoen said the plan to revive Don Muang had been proposed without proper study or research, particularly about return on investment.

"The government bodies just want to re-use the old airport, but they have not discussed the details in-depth," he added.

Charoen suggested using the old airport as an optional or reserved airport rather than for commercial flights.

Prakit Chinamourpong, vice president of THA, made the same point, saying the association disagreed with the plan, because it would cause trouble for connecting passengers.

Apichart Sankary, president of Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), said that the body had urged the government and AOT to inform the private sector three months before moving domestic flights to Don Muang, so that they could make preparations.

"I also told AOT to find out whether they would provide free shuttle buses between the two airports," said Apichart.

ATTA urged the government to complete the airport link if it wants to reopen the old airport soon.

Representatives of inbound tour operator CTS Travel Asia, and a hotel operator in Phuket, Club Andaman, said they support the reopening of Don Muang Airport as they believed the airport still had a good infrastructure and cheaper operation costs.

"The new Suvarnabhumi Airport has been open for just four months, but it has already reached full capacity. So Don Muang can be used to accommodate more flights or charter flights," one of the operators added.

The reopening of Don Muang could also help businesses, especially airport hotels and shops, located in the north part of Bangkok.

ATTA figures show tourists using its members from January 1-14 totalled 97,501, 9.1 per cent down from 107,265 in the same period last year.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[Happywheel]

Originally Posted by KatoeyLover69

The Thai Govt is only making a 'political decision' and has nothing against normal S'poreans.

If I were you, don't be so 'kiasi' and go ahead to visit Bangkok

not kiasi ..just alittle buay song with the thai.