'Airport won't open in June'
Suvarnabhumi Airport is unlikely to be ready to begin commercial operations in June, Deputy Transport Minister General Chaiyanan Charoensiri said yesterday.
Chaiyanan said work was still to be completed in several parts of the terminal, including the roof, ahead of a comprehensive safety test to be carried out by the International Civil Aviation Organisation."It [the work] should take about six or seven months," he said. The government had already postponed the opening of the airport from last September to June. New Airports of Thailand Plc president Chotisak Asapaviriya said on his first day in office that it was a priority to finish the construction of Suvarnabhumi Airport. The airport should open for commercial services as soon as possible to reduce the congestion problem at Bangkok International Airport, he said. The old airport is currently running at 30 per cent above its capacity. Chotisak will hold a meeting today at the new airport and also join a site inspection. The new president said he also hoped to increase cooperation between the five airports under the control of the Civil Aviation Department and those controlled by the Airports of Thailand. He wants to encourage airports around the country to play a greater role in the communities in which they are located, and is also looking to create a forum with representatives from different organisations, including the Immigration Office and Thai Airways International, to discuss the development of airline services The Nation
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