Airlines have been given the option of returning operations to the decommissioned Bangkok International Airport at Don Muang while repairs are made at the Bt150-billion Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The Transport Ministry recommended yesterday that carriers offering direct domestic flights be allowed to return to the old airport.

It said it would take between 45 day and 60 days to prepare Don Muang to accept flights and passengers again.

International flights will continue to use Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The resolution will be tabled at the February 6 Cabinet meet-ing, Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen said after meeting yesterday with top transport officials.

"The return to Don Muang is on a voluntary basis and is required to reduce inconvenience at Suvarnabhumi, where runway, taxiway, parking-bay and passenger-terminal repairs are under way," he said.

"These could cause inconvenience now that Suvarnabhumi is busy with domestic and international flights."

He said it was not known if the return would be made permanent. But, he said, from discussions with airlines, moving domestic flights to Don Muang would reduce all traffic at Suvarnabhumi by 30 per cent.

At present, Suvarnabhumi accommodates 1,150 domestic flights per week.

Theera believed a return to Don Muang would not trouble car-riers. They would require ground services only and not heavy, permanent equipment installed at Suvarnabhumi.

In a January 11 resolution, the Airports of Thailand board approved spending of Bt66 million to prepare Don Muang. It will need to provide other facilities and services, including taxis and buses.

Deputy Transport Minister Sansern Wongcha-um noted almost all domestic carriers were ready and willing to return to Don Muang. Airports of Thailand will discuss how expenses incurred will be met.

"Airlines should be able to shoulder the expenses," he said.

Open just four months, Suvarnabhumi is operating near its capacity of 45 million passengers a year. Based on the current volume of arrivals and departures, it is calculated Suvarnabhumi is operating at a level equivalent to 43 million passengers a year.

Sansern expected the move back to Don Muang would see a delay to the building of a new passenger terminal at Suvarnabhumi.

Orient-Thai Airlines chief executive Udom Tantiprasongchai said its One-Two-Go Airlines was ready to return to Don Muang.

"As a result of lower operating costs, this should allow us to register a 20-per-cent increase in passenger numbers this year, up from our original target of 10 per cent," he said, adding the airline needed to spend about Bt40 million on equipment at its Don Muang facilities.

A Transport Ministry source said agencies at yesterday's meeting suggested Thai Airways International maintain key domestic flights at Suvarnabhumi.

This is to accommodate foreign tourists who need connecting flights to internal tourist destinations. If these flights are operated from Suvarnabhumi, travellers will be inconvenienced.

Earlier, Thai Airways said it was ready to relocate non-transit domestic flights to Don Muang.

However, flights to and from Phuket and Chiang Mai will remain at Suvarnabhumi owning to the volume of international connections to and from these destinations.

Watcharapong Thongrung

The Nation