The immediate fate of the troubled Suvar-nabhumi Airport will be decided at a top-

level meeting headed

by Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen today.

It may elect to transfer some flights back to the decommissioned Bangkok International Airport at Don Muang.

The multi-billion-baht new airport has suffered a series of setbacks disrupting services over recent days.

"We have to admit that the repair of Suvarnabhumi Airport taxiways and runways will affect services," Theera said yesterday.

He believes recommissioning Don Muang will ease air-traffic congestion at Suvarnabhumi.

Last week, it was confirmed that Suvarnabhumi has cracks on runways and taxiways. On Thursday, repair work forced some flights into holding patterns over the airport and others to refuel at U-Tapao airfield in Chon Buri.

As many as 11 aerobridges at Suvarnabhumi Airport cannot be used owing to cracks on their

surfaces and partial cave-ins on a runway.

Temporary repairs have commenced.

Tortrakul Yommanak is leading an investigation into the problems and has estimated that permanent repairs could take as long as one year.

The Tortrakul-led probe is expected to conclude the causes within two weeks. Tortrakul is a board member of Airports of Thailand (AOT).

According to a Transport Ministry source, the AOT board had already approved the transfer of some flights back to Don Muang.

The old airport was closed to commercial traffic once Suvarnab-humi Airport was fully operational.

"The AOT-approved plan allows point-to-point domestic flights to return to Don Muang. The transfer of services is not mandatory. Each airline can choose to transfer back to the old airport, or not," the source said yesterday.

Bangkok Airways and Thai AirAsia are willing to return.

The image of Suvarnabhumi has suffered serious blows time and again since its opening.

On Saturday, water was discovered leaking into the passenger terminal from broken pipes.

Reports said domestic aviation authorities have refused to extend an international safety certificate.

They said the Department of Civil Aviation decided on Friday not to renew the airport's interim safety certificate that expired on Thursday.

The airport can, however, continue to operate without the licence.