"Down to the wire for new Bangkok airport"

Wednesday, September 6, 2006

Free Flow: Down to the wire for new Bangkok airport  
By Vaudine England
The International Herald Tribune
 
 
HONG KONG - The on-again and off-again opening of Bangkok's new flagship
airport, named Suvarnabhumi (or "Golden Land"), has been firmly set for the
end of the month, and airlines and cargo operators are bracing themselves,
hoping for a smooth takeoff.
 
The showcase facility 25 kilometers, or 16 miles, east of the city, has been
four decades in the making, beset by construction delays and corruption
worries. Now, some airlines are planning to begin using the vast new flight
hub, even before the official starting date of Sept. 28.
 
Jetstar, the low-cost offshoot of Qantas, plans to start flying from
Suvarnabhumi on Sept. 18. Thai Airways and its low-cost arm, Nok Air, and
Bangkok Airways, will be based at Suvarnabhumi from Sept. 15.
 
In the past year, varying scenarios have been proposed, under which low-
cost airlines and/or some cargo operations would stay at the old airport,
but it is now clear that nearly all commercial cargo and passenger flights
will operate from Suvarnabhumi, with only some charter flights using the old
airport.
 
As is always the case with new airport openings, operators are wondering if
the move from Bangkok's tired workhorse, Don Muang International Airport,
over to slick Suvarnabhumi, can be managed smoothly.
 
Judging by the experiences of other new airports, glitches could occur in
baggage handling and in cargo flow, some travel industry observers said.
 
"There's a lot of breath-holding, but all the indicators at the moment are
that the airport will open on Sept. 28," said John Koldowski, head of
research at the Pacific Asia Travel Association in Bangkok.
 
Some progress has been made on issues important to the airlines. IATA, the
International Air Transport Association, had long been concerned about
planned 15 percent increases in landing and parking fees. It expressed
relief recently at the decision by the Airports of Thailand, which manages
both old and new international airports, to put off price increases.
 
The association said the delay
 
would provide much needed financial relief to airlines operating in Bangkok,
which are expected to incur costs that could reach nearly $110 million to
shift from Don Muang to Suvarnabhumi.
 
"More importantly, the delay in the charges increase should enable AOT to
fulfill the commitment of engaging airlines in meaningful and effective
consultations."
 
"Suvarnabhumi has the potential to be a world-class facility," the IATA
added. "Operational effectiveness and cost efficiency will be critical in
ensuring the success of Suvarnabhumi as an aviation hub in Asia."
 
Many similar comments, by IATA and other airline bodies, are coded so as not
to offend the Thai authorities.
 
Stressing IATA's desire for Suvarnabhumi to be a success, another of its
recent statements went on to say: "What is important is to have Suvarnabhumi
Airport begin commercial operations only when it is operationally ready.
This means having undergone the required robust and comprehensive testing
and trials to ensure that the various systems are working 100 percent and
are seamlessly integrated."
 
After the opening of Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Hong Kong
International Airport (both in 1998), IATA developed a "New Airport
Checklist."
 
This checklist, which details what systems and procedures, should be
verified prior to the airport opening, was used by Incheon Airport in Korea
and Nagoya Airport in Japan when they opened smoothly.
 
"AOT could use the checklist as the basis for frank and open discussions to
update the airlines on the readiness of the Suvarnabhumi," suggested IATA.
 
When asked if the Thai airport authorities had taken up the opportunity for
such talks, Albert Tjoeng, an IATA spokesman, said "not yet." AOT has,
however, updated airlines on developments at the new airport, he added.
 
Apichart Sankary, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, was
less diplomatic when he told Agence France-Presse: "It seems like if the new
airport opens on Sept. 28, too many problems will arise."
 
He said Don Muang should continue to be used until Suvarnabhumi is "totally
ready."
 
Ready or not, Don Muang is scheduled to close at 3 a.m. on Sept. 28. The
fine-tuning will have to come later.

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