AOT board orders quicker trolley probe

The Airports of Thailand board has ordered the state agency to speed up its examination of the trolley supply contract of Thai Airport Ground Services (TAGS), so that it can decide whether to terminate the deal.

AOT senior executive vice president and acting president Serirat Prasutanond said yesterday that the board had assigned the legal department to examine whether it is possible to terminate the contract.

It also ordered the department to hasten completion of a back-up plan, in case the contract is ended.

The AOT committee scrutinising the contract found that TAGS had failed to make available the required number of trolleys at Suvarnabhumi Airport. According to the contract, it has to provide 9,034 trolleys, of which 2,000 are for small luggage, 7,000 for mid-sized luggage and the rest for large items.

However, some trolleys were reportedly stolen or went missing within months of the airport's opening in September 2006, prompting complaints from passengers of insufficient trolley numbers.

AOT awarded a seven-year deal worth Bt532.86 million to TAGS, under which it would provide trolleys to the new airport and manpower to manage them within the airport.

Under the initial back-up plan, AOT would either procure trolleys on its own or hire another company to do so. The revised back-up plan is expected to be ready within the next month.