The Democrat Party will launch an investigation into the readiness of the new Suvarnabhumi Airport for full commercial operation in September.

Kiati Sithiamorn, a party executive who has been monitoring Suvarnabhumi for some time, said unresolved issues about corruption scandals, questionable construction quality and unfinished transport links begged questions about the airport's real state of readiness.

Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra insists Suvarnabhumi will be opened on September 28 - and that will be the last day of Don Muang as Bangkok's main international airport.

But Kiati disagrees.

"Airports are not supposed to open just because politicians want to see them open. They should be opened only after the infrastructure and all the systems are thoroughly tested to make sure everything runs correctly. That's when an airport is ready," he said.

Kiati said a press conference would be scheduled for early this week to outline the major issues the party will investigate.

"One big concern is the transparency surrounding the airport certification process. I talked to international airlines and they seem to accept that the new airport will not get certified by the ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organisation]. But it's our job to make sure the local agency that issues certification does so with transparency and is prepared to regularly conduct quality checks," he said.

Kiati was referring to the Civil Aviation Department, which announced it would issue an interim Aerodrome Certification for Suvarnabhumi Airport last week, but failed to do so. It now has only six days left before the start of commercial test flights with paying passengers next Saturday.

Kiati's view is that a whole range of issues needs to be examined, from the structure of the canvas roof to the aeronautical safety systems and the emergency response procedures.

"We've requested information from the responsible agencies many times, but so far there has been little response," he said. "What is there to hide?"

Another issue he will examine is public transport links between the airport and downtown areas.

"Mass transport systems such as the Airport Rail Link will not finish anytime soon. Remaining options are taxis and buses. But it is still unclear to us if these are properly managed and ready for opening time," Kiati said.

The Democrats are also concerned about the new airport's business competitiveness. The party has received complaints over the exclusive concession granted to King Power Duty Free inside the passenger terminal.

"The airport has allowed King Power a monopoly over some 20,000 square metres of commercial area. The deal seems to reduce the opportunity to maximise revenues," Kiati said.

Nantiya Tangwisutijit

The Nation