The airport is currently operating under an interim aerodrome certificate, which will expire six months from yesterday, the date the airport opened.

Department director-general Chaisak Angkasuwan said that before a permanent certificate could be granted, DCA officials must check whether all systems in the airport met International Civil Aviation Organisation standards. This includes the runway, taxiing and electronic systems.

He said if all systems were running properly, the DCA would release a permanent certificate within three months.

Chaisak said that once the airport was granted a permanent certificate, it would be better recognised internationally. However, the interim aerodrome certificate will not affect airport operations in the meantime. Before Suvarnabhumi opened, 87 airlines were operating out of the old Don Muang Airport. Another six - from Russia, Bangladesh, Indonesia and China - have requested air-traffic licences to fly into Thailand's new airport next month.

An aviation-industry source said these new airlines might delay starting up at the new airport until Suvarnabhumi was granted a permanent certificate, although they would be fully covered by insurance in case of accident or equipment damage.

"The major airlines, however, are not very concerned with this, as you can see all of them have committed to operate from and to Suvarnabhumi," he said.

The first aircraft to land at Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday was a Lufthansa cargo flight.

Apart from those additional foreign airlines, more Thai airlines also hope to serve the new airport. The Civil Aviation Department said eight new local airlines had requested aviation licenses: Suvarnabhumi Airlines Co Ltd, Holiday Airlines Co Ltd, Skystar Airways Co Ltd, Asian Aerospace Services Co Ltd, Siam Express Airways Co Ltd, HS Aviation Co Ltd, See-Sky Co Ltd and Airmark Aviation (Thailand) Co Ltd.

Chaisak said Suvarnabhumi had also been contacted by airlines wanting to operate up to 300 chartered flights to and from the new airport.

"Demand will rise, because the airport is starting its operations ahead of the upcoming high season," he said.

Thailand's high tourist season normally starts in October.

As of yesterday, Suvarnabhumi completely took over all of the operations of the old Don Muang Airport.

Due to the massive scale of the move between airports on Wednesday night and early yesterday morning, Thai Airways International Plc (THAI) had to cancel or reroute a number of flights, including ones to Ubon Ratchathani and Hat Yai and from Phuket, Khon Kaen and Chiang Mai. Some Nok Air flights - which are code-shared with THAI - were also cancelled.

THAI will resume its normal operations today, the airline said in a statement.

The airline also cancelled flights to Manila yesterday, following typhoon Xangsane, which caused flash floods in the central Philippines.

Watcharapong Thongrung

The Nation