Somchai Sawasdeepon, director of the new airport said the six airlines included Thailand's flag carrier, Thai Airways International; Thailand's largest private airline, Bangkok Airways; and budget carrier Thai AirAsia.

"Local airlines will launch test flights on July 29, to pave the way for the opening of the airport's commercial operations," said Somchai. "They will be real flights, meaning passengers will have to pay for tickets."

Suvarnabhumi Airport, whose name means "golden land" in Thai, has been in the works for more than 40 years, but construction delays and accusations of graft have repeatedly postponed its opening.

After a meeting of the executive committee for Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday, caretaker Transport Minister Pongsak Ruktapongpisal confirmed that September 28 was the scheduled date for commercial opening.

"The first flight to land at the airport is scheduled for 3am on September 28, but there are no details about the flight or where it will fly from," he said. "There won't be any worries."

Pongsak said details of the schedules for the test flights would be announced today.

He said that in the first three years of operation, all airlines would be required to use the new airport, because it would have the capacity to handle of 76 flights an hour.

Don Muang Airport will be used for charter flights. Terminal 2 will be modified to serve as a museum, while Terminal 1 and the domestic terminal will be used for some flights moving from Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Thailand hopes the new airport, with an initial annual capacity of 45 million passengers, will surpass rivals Singapore and Malaysia as the region's most important aviation hub.

It also plans to expand the airport's annual capacity to 120 million passengers.

The new airport will relieve traffic congestion at Don Muang Airport, which currently accommodates 38.5 million passengers annually, although it was designed to handle only 36 million.

Watcharapong Thongrung

The Nation