The idea was one of two that came out of a meeting on Wednesday by the committee overseeing the airport.

Committee chairman Air Chief Marshal Chalit Pukbhasuk said that apart from buying up the 71 houses located too close to the airport, aircraft could be made to ascend to an altitude of 1,500-3,000 feet at a particular speed and direction to cut noise.

The 71 houses were selected largely on the basis they were built before 2001. People who bought or built homes near the airport after 2001 should have been aware they would be affected later by heavy air traffic, Chalit said.

Also, to ease traffic jams at the airport, the committee proposed limiting the toll exemption on the ring road to three months. Traffic on the ring road - a main route to the airport - has increased due to people taking advantage of the toll cut to inspect the airport.

Reviewing airport operations in the two weeks since its opening on Sept 28, the committee found overall service was satisfactory and only one per cent of the problems remained unsolved.

It felt the airport has been very successful in speeding up luggage handling. Passengers' luggage is now ready for them to collect within 16-37 minutes of landing.

The AOT now plans to move a glass partition back to reduce crowding in the arrival terminal.