Don Mueang Airport expects the number of passengers to increase from the current 4 million to 11,5 million when five to seven budget airlines come to Don Mueang.
The government has called on them to deal with the congestion on Suvarnabhumi.
Designed for 45 million passengers, Suvarnabhumi will handle 51 million passengers this year, pushing waiting times at passport control to 2 hours.
Kanpat Mangkalasiri, director of Don Mueang, said yesterday that the airport is halting all non-aviation related activities and is focusing on expanding its facilities. The improvements cost 60 million baht, for which Airports of Thailand must grant permission. Terminal 1, formerly the terminal for international flights, is now used by Nok Air and charter flights.
Piyasvasti Amranand, president of Thai Airways International (THAI), supports the government's dual-airport policy. He says that the expansion of Suvarnabhum will take at least 5 years and may still encounter numerous problems. THAI will not move its domestic flights to Don Mueang due to its connection with international flights. When THAI starts a budget service, it might go to it.
Tassapon Bijleveld of Thai AirAsia reacts reserved. “We will carefully examine the government's proposals and conditions. The government must also make it clear that it will not change policy again.' He is also waiting to see what incentives the government offers.
Udom Tantiprasongchai of Orient Thai Airlines first wants to see if the infrastructure of the old airport is being improved.
Marisa Pongpattanapun, chairman of the Airline Operators Committee, is the only one to oppose the relocation of the low-cost airlines. She points out that international passengers spend 4 hours between landing at Suvarnabhumi and boarding at Don Mueang for a domestic flight.
www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post
@ Hans Bos Adding 7,5 million passengers sounds more plausible than yesterday's 17 to 18, don't you think?
Is there still talk of developing U-Tapao into a full-fledged international airport? The intention was to relieve Suv by moving some of the international flights to U-Tapao. I even saw designs for that somewhere. The only thing they have changed so far is the name. In the meantime I haven't actually read anything about it. From one day to the next nothing was written about it. Or did I miss something that caused these plans to be discarded?
Good question. I have no idea. At least I haven't read anything about it.
I think the Americans have a destination for U-Tapao in case of emergencies in this region. Have I heard something about it in the past? Or have the plans changed in the meantime?
If I had the choice I always went via Don Mueang, I don't like the new airport at all, apart from the waiting times that everyone complains about (no complaints myself)
But I miss the "coming home to Thailand" feeling of Don Mueang, same with the departure, it's a beautiful building but there's no soul in it
Utapao was in the news when Bangkok airport was occupied by supporters of a political “colour”. There were plenty of international flights at the time, I also thought from Eva Air to Amsterdam. China Airlines then flew from Chiangmai.
Not long after that, Utapao was renamed International Airport, but charters have been coming from the European eastern bloc countries for many years.
If you look at the infrastructure, I think that Don Muang is better suited.
What I often like is that people worldwide are very concerned about what is happening in Thailand, and the Thais themselves: MAI PEN RAI.
Funny but also questionable how you think about the "world" and like it as if the whole world is crazy. Your statement that the Thai says mai pen rai doesn't make sense because 99% of the Thai don't fly and then a large part don't even fly internationally. If you have read correctly, this is about a connection of international passengers to the rest of Thailand.
@ Rene, when I miss my plane due to the slow handling at immigration, I don't say Mai Pen Rai but gvd. And I think a Thai in the same situation will not be happy either.
@KhunPeter
Peter I wrote that Mai Pen Rai because people worldwide are so concerned about Thailand , and that Mai Pen Rai obviously does not apply if you were to miss your flight .
@TH.NL
I am responding to Utapao as an International Airport . Don't take everything so seriously .
Well, if there were a shuttle train between SUV and Don, it would cause much fewer problems for connections. No problem for me, because otherwise you would have to hang around the airport for hours for your connection.
Hello, wake up everyone.
What matters is a reduction in the burden of immigration. This is again a real Thai solution and, apart from some publicity, does not result in shorter waiting times at immigration.
It is true that more passengers arrive than expected, but mainly due to the fact that the budget airlines that were previously on DM have moved due to uncertain positions of various governments in the past.
I don't expect them to go back now either.
Wide awake Ruud,
But you too.
The (low) budget airlines have no influence whatsoever on immigration. There is no (low) budget company in the transatlantic region.
You can buy a cheap ticket, but this has nothing to do with the (low) budget system. (Low) budget means that you pay a basic price and additional services, according to your wishes, are paid on board. You can always give me a (Low) budget airline as an example... Ask for nothing more because I don't need food and drinks on board...