Problems at Suvarnabhumi International Airport

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The following appears in the BANGKOK POST:

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AIRPORT BOASTS FADE TO IGNOMINY

 

Slipshod Work Could Force Partial Closure

 

Suvarnabhumi airport's opening on Sept 28 was a major event of 2006. But boasting about its world-class facilities quickly faded as revelations of slipshod construction led to a countdown to its partial closure for repairs. Planning for the airport, at Nong Ngu Hao (cobra swamp) in Samut Prakan, began over four decades ago, with its opening repeatedly postponed from 2000.

 

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra took a personal interest in pushing for its early opening, including putting pressure on the builders by camping out at the site with his cabinet.

 

His government made much of the airport having the largest single terminal and tallest air traffic control tower.

 

Despite the change of government after the Sept 19 coup, authorities managed to open Suvarnabhumi on schedule.

 

But it was not long before they found that the previous postponements were not enough to ensure a well-built, efficient airport.

 

New problems kept surfacing.

 

The passenger terminal roof leaked and there was inadequate lighting at night. During the daytime, sunlight pouring in through the terminal's glass structure makes working conditions uncomfortable for immigration police in the departure zone. They must depend on makeshift sunshades.

 

The floors of the terminal have numerous cracks and the concreting is rough and unfinished. Taxiways and airport parking bays are also cracked, a consequence of building the airport on top of a swamp.

 

The revolving doors have proven impractical with 17 of the 26 having broken down, and their glass panes have also cracked. Airports of Thailand (AoT) will replace them with sliding doors _ at a cost of at least 10 million baht.

 

There are too few toilets and the toilet areas are too far apart. Authorities have admitted that space originally designated for toilets was instead given over to shops.

 

Excessive shopping outlets and food and beverage facilities make for narrow walking passages in the terminal. Passengers must struggle through the shopping areas to reach their departure gates. Arriving passengers exiting customs are channelled into narrow walkways squeezed between shops and vending outlets. The crowded passages are packed with touts for expensive airport limousines.

 

The fire-fighting systems and fire exits are also different from the original design.

 

Recently, Deputy Transport Minister Sansern Wongcha-um admitted that essential repairs and improvements to the three-month-old airport would require its partial closure. Pending completion of the task, the 92-year-old Don Muang airport would have to be reactivated.

 

AoT board member Yodyiam Theptranont, who has closely studied Suvarnabhumi's problems, said the estimated cost of the work was at least 1.5 billion baht.

 

The problems are being discussed with airport designers and contractors, who will draw up detailed lists and set priorities.

 

The countdown to Suvarnabhumi's partial closure is already ticking away.

 

Apart from the physical problems, Suvarnabhumi has managerial and workflow problems as well.

 

Staff are still unfamiliar with the luggage handling system. At peak hours, check-in queues for Thai Airways International stretch outside the terminal.

 

Queues for public metered taxis snake outside on the ground level in a semi-orderly fashion, with chits issued to drivers and passengers, but drivers of illegal taxis prey on arrivals indoors. Ongoing construction leaves laborers working near passengers and this has led to complaints of sexual harassment.