New airport

[Guest]

Anyone got the latest on the new airport?

Swampy

[Wethair]

I only found the information about tho old one:

GENERAL INFORMATION EN 30MAR05 0937Z

BANGKOK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

---------------------------------------------------------------

GMT PLUS 0700



THAILAND TH



POSITION OF AIRPORT : 16MLS/24KMS NORTH OF BANGKOK



ENQUIRIES PHONE NUMBER: (66) 2 535 11 11 / 535 11 23

FLIGHT INFORMATION NO : (66) 2 535 12 54, 535 11 23 (DEP)

(66) 2 535 13 10, 535 13 01 (ARR)



TERMINALS DECODING : MS23

AIRPORT TAX : INT: THB 500.00, EXP: INFANT FREE

---------------------------------------------------------------

TOPIC ENTER OR PAGE

---------------------------------------------------------------

CAR PARKING GG APT BKK PARK GP2

CHECK IN INFORMATION GG APT BKK CHECK GP3

FACILITIES GG APT BKK FACIL GP4

SURFACE TRANSPORTATION GG APT BKK SURF GP5

GENERAL INFORMATION EN 30MAR05 0937Z

AIRPORT TAX : INT: THB 500.00, EXP: INFANT FREE

---------------------------------------------------------------

TOPIC ENTER OR PAGE

---------------------------------------------------------------

CAR PARKING GG APT BKK PARK GP2

CHECK IN INFORMATION GG APT BKK CHECK GP3

FACILITIES GG APT BKK FACIL GP4

SURFACE TRANSPORTATION GG APT BKK SURF GP5

---------------------------------------------------------------



TERMINALS DECODING

------------------



CODE NAME

---- ----

1 TERMINAL 1

2 TERMINAL 2

D DOMESTIC TERMINAL





END OF DISPLAY

[Wethair]

Homepage for the new Airport in BKK: SUVARNABHUMI: www.suvarnabhumiairport.com

I havent found yet, but I hope they can make a high speed connection train to Bangkok and Pattaya.

[allstar88]

when is it going to open?it is always delayed and theres some political scandal about security machines!? Daz.

[Guest]

Suvarnabhumi BKK / VTBS (AKA €œNong Ngu Hao€)

Flew overhead the new airport site on the way in to Don Muang a couple of weeks ago

Very pretty (reminiscent of Incheon or KL) with runways and taxiways complete, gleaming roofs of massive new terminal, freeways / trains providing city access to new airport not even close to completion

Asked a couple of my friends working at TG about it after we landed

They say it won't be open until mid-2006 (if then) as corrupt contract awards and consequential kickback payments have resulted in sub-standard construction and finishing - not that any of them mind the delay, as none are looking forward to the southbound commute from the city

See below for the latest from The Nation (2005-09-30) on the VTBS 250,000 USD "launch party" this week:

Suvarnabhumi airport passes 'test'

By Nophakhun Limsamarnphun

Suvarnabhumi International Airport passed another significant milestone in its controversial history Thursday when its inaugural test flight - which Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra turned into a major publicity stunt - landed safely.

The €œsoft launch€ of the incomplete airport, plagued by massive corruption charges and arguably the world€™s longest-running project of its kind, reportedly cost taxpayers in the vicinity of Bt10 million (US$243,277).

When asked by a BBC reporter why the government had to organise Thursday's event to €œtest€ the airport, Thaksin replied: €œI didn€™t expect this sort of question from the BBC.€

The plane carrying Thaksin and an entourage of 200 guests left Don Muang airport early Thursday morning and touched down at the new airport at 9:19am. Another plane carrying local and international media landed at 10:35am at the airport, which was first conceived in 1960.

The airport will not be opened for commercial services until at least the middle of next year, but Thursday's symbolic flights served as a useful publicity tool to show the world that the government is doing its best to avoid further delays.

Thaksin had intended the airport to be open Thursday, but construction delays and corruption scandals meant that target could not be achieved.

Reporters were impressed by the airport€™s elegant design and state-of-the-art technology, which is expected to place Suvarnabhumi among the world€™s top airports.

The government hosted Thursday's event against a backdrop of negative publicity caused by the Bt150-billion (US$3.65 billion) project being marred by a plethora of problems, the latest of which was the alleged irregularities surrounding the procurement of 26 bomb-detection machines worth Bt2 billion (US$48.65 million).

Despite these difficulties, Suvarnabhumi looks magnificent - even futuristic - with its multi-story shining steel beams and glass walls key elements of its design.

It looks set to become a regional aviation hub due to its central location, huge terminal capacity and the government€™s push for open-sky policies with a number of countries.

€œWhile a lot of work still has to be done, the airport is visually stunning. It also has the world€™s biggest single passenger terminal at 500,000 square metres,€ said Andrew Drysdale, regional vice president of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

IATA groups together 217 airlines worldwide.

With a single terminal of that size - equivalent to 10 large shopping complexes - Suvarnabhumi is comparable to London€™s Heathrow airport, which is building its fifth terminal, and Singapore€™s Changi airport, which already has three terminals and is building a new low-cost terminal.

Don Muang airport currently handles about 38 million passengers per year, compared to Changi€™s 32 million. All of Don Muang€™s traffic will be transferred to Suvarnabhumi, which will have an initial capacity of 45 million passengers and three million tonnes of cargo a year.

Thaksin said the government spent a lot of money on Thursday's publicity stunt because he believed it was important to expedite the project to avoid further delays and the loss of economic and business opportunities. Thursday's event will encourage all parties concerned to concentrate on completing the project as soon as possible, he said.

€œWe also want to inform the world that we€™re about to open the new airport,€ he added.

Thaksin attributed previous delays to the airport to a lack of political stability that had resulted in frequent policy changes concerning the project.

Thaksin also plans to hold a New Year€™s Eve celebration at the airport and a national photo contest to select the best pictures of the airport for use in promotional postcards.

Drysdale said it would take at least six months to test various facilities at the airport once all the construction and interior design work was fully completed.

To facilitate the airport€™s position as a regional aviation hub, Thaksin said he had asked airlines attached to the Star Alliance to reschedule flights arriving at the airport to suit transit passengers.

Thai Airways International is a Star Alliance partner.

------------------------------

Fright path

Airport officials are believed to have tackled animals ranging from worms and turtles to stray dogs to ensure that the inaugural landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport went off smoothly.

Although a report that F16 fighters were used to scare away birds has been denied, ground staff were seen using air rifles to scare stray dogs off the runways ahead of the plane€™s arrival.

However, there were no sightings of any cobras even though the new airport is built on €œCobra Swamp€, or €œNong Ngu Hao€, as the site was known before it was given the official name Suvarnabhumi.

[Guest]

And this...

Bullets prey on mind of THAI's test pilot (but cobras, lizards, and rats are 'no problem')

By AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK TUL PINKAEW

The term ``flight safety'' took on new meaning yesterday as the commercial pilot of the inaugural flight taking Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to Bangkok's new international airport had to be wary of the threat of bullets hitting the aircraft.

Captain Norahat Ployyai, Thai Airways International executive vice-president of standard and safety administration, said the plane was flying at relatively low altitudes, putting it within reach of possible strikes from the ground.

``The plane flew at only 2,000 feet instead of 10,000,'' said Capt Norahat.

``Mr Thaksin's Airbus A 340-600 took off from Don Muang just north of Bangkok, and arrived at Suvarnabhumi just minutes away to the south.''

Capt Norahat said THAI feared for the safety of passengers on the flight because of the troubles in the South. Consequently, six Royal Thai Air Force F16s were deployed to provide protection at both the front and rear of the airplane.

Migratory birds in the area surrounding the airport and posing potential safety hazards were also cause for concern.

Somchai Swasdiphol, the deputy managing director of the new airport, said the trees and bushes around the airport were being cut down to deprive migratory birds of food and shelter.

``The problems of cobras, water monitor lizards and rats is being resolved by nature itself as we have more than 30,000 workers building the airport. They catch and eat all the cobras and lizards,'' he said.  
 
Motorists parked on Onnuch road to watch the test landing.

Meanwhile, the scene at the VIP lounge at Don Muang airport where politicians and officials waited for the chance to join the history-making flight, was in disarray as there was a struggle to get the seats closest to Mr Thaksin.

An Airports of Thailand (AoT) source said that Mr Thaksin had invited all Thai Rak Thai MPs to attend the party's caucus on Tuesday. As a result, more than 100 government MPs arrived uninvited demanding seats.

That meant most AoT and THAI board members, including senators, had to be moved onto the second flight which was reserved for members of the media.

The source said Transport Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal's team changed the seat allocations on the first plane to include mostly Thai Rak Thai MPs.

[Lotusman]

Guys,

So what's the info on this? How far from the city is it? How long by Taxi?

Thanks...Lotusman

[Snick]

The Location is East of the city center, which means keep driving up Sukhemvit.
For those staying in the Sukhemvit area the transit time might be the same as the old airport, but that depends on them actually building all the roads and on how bad the traffic turns out.

There are plans to have a new Subway (the red line I think) running to the airport and then running parallel to Petchburi road (which is the road north and parallel to sukhemvit). But no work has been started on the Subway so BEST guess is 3 years and we all know it will be a lot longer than that.

The new airport is closer to Pattaya than the current airport, for those who go straight to Soddom and Gomorrah by the Sea Shore.

[Lotusman]

Thanks Snick.....

[Looker]

In simple words, if you plan to go and living in Bangkok and have to travel in and out frequently, chose anywhere further down Thonglor (Sukh 55) !

[Snick]

Ekami is nice too

[Looker]

Sure..Soi Ekamai will be Sukh. 63
Of course..even nearer!!