Gaybutton Posted May 25, 2006 Posted May 25, 2006 Sooner or later the new Suvarnabhumi Airport is bound to open. For quite some time we all were hearing about how it will open in June. June is one week from the date of this post. It's not even close. I suppose better late than never. Now they're saying the airport will open by October. Somehow, I wouldn't want to bet on that either. Nevertheless, that's what they're saying. Supposedly, the airport will be operational in time for the high season. Let's hope so. Here's the article: Suvarnabhumi Airport to Open Before October BANGKOK, May 25 (TNA) Caretaker Transport Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal on Wednesday confirmed that Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi Airport would be opened for commercial services before the high season would begin in October. He said the Board on Suvarnabhumi Airport Development is unlikely to set a schedule for the opening of the airport for commercial services at its meeting on Thursday because there is a delay in certain construction works. However, officials concerned would accelerate the construction to ensure readiness for the opening of the airport services as soon as possible, he noted. He said the ministry would attempt to have the airport opened prior to October when a large number of tourists would arrive in Thailand because it is the high season. In that period, a number of flights will increase significantly, making it difficult to manage the new airport. It must take some time for the airport to accommodate the large number of passengers. Mr. Pongsak said the airport Quote
Guest Hedda Posted May 25, 2006 Posted May 25, 2006 There are "openings" and there are openings. You may recall when our esteemed caretaker prime minister spent a small fortune last September to fly into the new airport to save face on all those promised openings that were pie, not planes, in the sky. You will note that the article cited above says that airport will be open by the start of tourist season in october, but that the "official opening" may be after the season, which puts it well into 2007. I guess defining the "tourist season" is like defining what's an opening: all in the mind of the beholder. It will be intersting to see who will be prime minister when this airport finally opens. Quote
Guest wowpow Posted May 26, 2006 Posted May 26, 2006 Airport opening now set for September New deadline greeted with much scepticism The Bangkok POst, Friday 26th May 2006 AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK & BOONSONG KOSITCHOTETHANA First it was June, then August, then October _ and yesterday the opening date for the much-delayed Suvarnabhumi airport was changed again, for the fourth time this month. This time, caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra waded in and brought the deadline forward a bit to September. Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra leads senior officials to inspect the progress of work at Suvarnabhumi airport. Mr Thaksin has instructed airport authorities to complete construction by July and have it ready for commercial flights by the end of September. Quote
Gaybutton Posted May 26, 2006 Author Posted May 26, 2006 One problem I envision is that someone is going to scheduled for a flight out, when the new airport is supposed to open, and end up going to the wrong airport. Would it come as a major shock to read a story telling us that someone was told by the airline that the flight will leave from Suvarnabhumi, but ends up having to depart from Bangkok International instead, and the passenger(s) were not notified? Based on the way everything else seems to happen, I'll be amazed if we don't hear a few stories like that. Quote
