BANGKOK, January 30 - Thai Airways International (THAI) is prepared to transfer some flights from Suvarnabhumi Airport back to the old Bangkok international airport at Don Muang as soon as one month from now, according to THAI President Apinan Sumanaseni, but the national carrier would find it more suitable period to move in late March.
Thailand's Ministry of Transport and other agencies concerned --including the Civil Aviation Department and the Airports of Thailand (AOT) agreed Monday to transfer domestic flights without ongoing connections to Bangkok's former international airport at Don Muang.
The service transfer, on a voluntary basis, is due both to congestion and problems with taxiways and runways at the four-month old Suvarnabhumi Airport which resulted in the closing of some areas for heavy repair work.
The ministry will submit the proposal for Cabinet approval next week.
Mr. Apinan said that THAI is ready to comply with the government's policy as some flights would be able to shift services. However, some flights, including Chiang Mai-Bangkok, Krabi-Bangkok and Phuket-Bangkok, will continue to serve passengers at Suvarnabhumi as there would be some foreign passengers who may need to connect to international flights, he said.
The national carrier chief added that the company has started to plan the relocation of some equipment to Don Muang. However, he said the cost will not be high as some divisions are still at Don Muang such as Technical Division and some office appliances had not been moved to Suvarnabhumi.
"High on the moving list are ground service transport and Information Technology equipment for passenger check-in," Mr. Apinan said.
The THAI President said that while the national flag carrier may need one month to prepare the move, the most suitable timetable would be late March as the airline change its flight schedule to its summer schedule at the same time.
If the flight shifts are implemented after late March, THAI may have to adjust schedules again, which would cause inconvenience, he said.
Source : Bangkok Airport Guide
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