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Suvarnabhumi Airport
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BKK redirects here. For the Norwegian power company see Bergenshalvøens Kommunale Kraftselskap.
For other uses see BKK (disambiguation).
Suvarnabhumi Airport (; pronounced //) , also known as (New) Bangkok International Airport, is the international airport serving Bangkok, Thailand. After delays and three decades of planning, the airport opened for limited domestic flight service on 15 September 2006, and opened for all domestic and international commercial flights on 28 September.
The airport is the main hub for Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways, Orient Thai Airlines, PBair and Thai AirAsia, and a focus city for China Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates Airline, EVA Air, Indian Airlines, Royal Jordanian, and SriLankan Airlines.
The airport is located in Racha Thewa in Bang Phli district, Samut Prakan Province, about 25 km east of downtown Bangkok.
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Encyclopedia
BKK redirects here. For the Norwegian power company see Bergenshalvøens Kommunale Kraftselskap.
For other uses see BKK (disambiguation).
Suvarnabhumi Airport (; pronounced //) , also known as (New) Bangkok International Airport, is the international airport serving Bangkok, Thailand. After delays and three decades of planning, the airport opened for limited domestic flight service on 15 September 2006, and opened for all domestic and international commercial flights on 28 September.
The airport is the main hub for Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways, Orient Thai Airlines, PBair and Thai AirAsia, and a focus city for China Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates Airline, EVA Air, Indian Airlines, Royal Jordanian, and SriLankan Airlines.
The airport is located in Racha Thewa in Bang Phli district, Samut Prakan Province, about 25 km east of downtown Bangkok. The name Suvarnabhumi was chosen by King Bhumibol Adulyadej and refers to the golden kingdom hypothesized to have been located somewhere in Southeast Asia. Designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn Architects, this airport has the world's tallest control tower (132.2 m), and the world's third largest single-building airport terminal (563,000 m²). Suvarnabhumi is one of the busiest airports in Asia and Bangkok's primary airport for all international airline flights. The airport inherited the airport code BKK from Don Mueang after the older airport ceased commercial flights. A modern motorway connects the airport, Bangkok, and the heavily industrial Eastern Seaboard of Thailand, where most of the manufacturing for export takes place.
History
Land purchase, early construction
The plot of land occupied by the airport with an area of 8,000 acres (32 km²) was purchased in 1973 but the student uprising on October 14 of the same year was followed by the overthrow of the military government of Thanom Kittikachorn and the project was shelved. After a series of ups and downs, the "New Bangkok International Airport" company (NBIA) was formed in 1996. Due to political and economic instabilities, notably the Asian financial crisis of 1997, the civil construction began six years later in January 2002 during the government of Thaksin Shinawatra. The airport is located in a once low-lying marsh, formerly known as Nong Ngu Hao (lit. "Cobra Swamp"), which took 5 years (1997 - 2001) to clear through land reclamation. In 2005, the construction supervision and management was transferred to the Airports of Thailand PLC, while the NBIA company was dissolved.
Financing
30% of the airport's construction cost was covered by Airports of Thailand, while another 70% came from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). Airport-related procurement followed JBIC's stringent guidelines for transparency and openness. Despite populism regarding the airport as being built for passengers, Japanese and Thai exporting companies in the area for a long time wanted a round the clock airport built along with a modern motorway between factories, Bangkok, and the port of Laem Chabang.
Early construction, airport tests, and official opening
The airport was due to open in late 2005, but a series of budget overruns, construction flaws, and allegations of corruption plagued the project.
A further problem was the belief that the airport was haunted by spirits, and sightings of ghosts by superstitious construction workers, so that on 23 September 2005, the Thai airports authority held a ceremony with 99 Buddhist monks chanting prayers to calm these spirits.
Symbolic first test flights involving two Thai Airways aircraft were held on 29 September 2005, a previously announced deadline for opening.
Full tests of the airport, with seats sold to the public, took place on 3 July and 29 July, 2006. Six airlines – Thai Airways International, Nok Air, Thai Air Asia, Bangkok Airways, PBair and One-Two-GO – used the airport as a base for 20 domestic flights. The first international test flights were conducted on September 1, 2006. Two THAI's aircraft, B747-400 and A300-600, simultaneously departed the airport on 9.19am to Singapore and Hong Kong. At 3.50pm the same aircraft flew back and made simultaneous touchdowns on runways 19L and 19R. These test flights demonstrated the readiness of the airport to handle heavy traffic.
On 15 September 2006, the airport started limited daily operations with Jetstar Asia Airways operating three flights daily to Singapore and Thai Airways International operating some domestic flights to Phitsanulok, Chiang Mai and Ubon Ratchathani. Bangkok Airways moved on 21 September, AirAsia and Thai AirAsia followed suit on 25 September and on 26 September Nok Air moved to Suvarnabhumi Airport. During this initial phase, as well as in the previous tests, the airport used the temporary IATA code NBK.
Suvarnabhumi officially opened at 3:00am on 28 September 2006, taking over all flights from Don Mueang. The first flight to arrive was Lufthansa Cargo flight LH8442 from Mumbai at 3:05am. The first commercial arrival was from Japan Airlines at 3:30am. The first passenger arrival was Aerosvit flight VV171 from Kiev at 4:30am, and the first cargo departure was Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SV-984 to Riyadh at 5:00am. Aerosvit also had the first passenger departure (VV172 to Kiev) around 5:30am.
Initial difficulties
Many difficulties were recorded in the first few days of the airport's operation. On the first day alone, sluggish luggage claims were common - the very first passenger arrival by Aerosvit took an hour for the luggage to start coming out, and some flights did not have their luggage coming out even after four hours. Also flights were delayed (Thai Airways claimed that 17 of 19 flights were delayed that day), and there were also failures with the check-in system. Subsequent problems included the failure of the cargo computer system, and the departure boards displaying the wrong information, resulting in confused passengers (especially as unlike Don Muang, there were no "final calls" issued).
Months into its opening, issues such as congestion, construction quality, signage, provision of facilities, and soil subsidence continued to plague the project, prompting calls to reopen Don Mueang to allow for repairs to be done. Expert opinions varied widely regarding the extent of Suvarnabhumi's problems as well as their root cause; most airlines stated that damage to the airport was minimal. Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont decided on 16 February 2007 to reopen Don Mueang for domestic flights on a voluntary basis, with 71 weekly flights moved back initially, with no international flights allowed.
Capacity and safety issues
Problems with the tarmac
The Engineering Institute of Thailand conducted investigations at the airport in late 2006 after signs of distress were spotted at several locations in Suvarnabhumi's taxiways and taxilanes. Rutting was found in five of the six taxilanes and one of the six taxiways. Plastic deformation of the asphalt wearing course was observed near the takeoff position of the runway. However, the investigators noted that plastic deformation at this location was a common phenomenon and only routine maintenance was required to repair the distress. Aside from this surface distortion, both runways were in good structural condition.
Further investigations found that that taxilane and taxiway rutting was caused by separation of the asphalt binder from the aggregate surface due to prolonged water infiltration into the asphalt concrete base course, a phenomenon known as "stripping." The 23 centimetre thick base course is the top-most layer of the tarmac. Core samples indicated that the concrete base course material contained the correct job mix and aggregate gradation. Below the base course are the binder course, the wearing course, and the cement-treated base.
Detailed investigations found that water seepage was evident along the rims of the expansion joints in the cement-tested base, indicating that a large quantity of water was still trapped in the sand blanket (the bottom-most layer of the tarmac). It was found that water trapped in the sand blanket was fully confined with no connection to the pavement areas of the airport. A later investigation by the AoT identified several potential reasons for the trapped water in the sand blanket. The AoT's findings were disputed by several experts.
The Engineering Institute of Thailand sent a formal warning to the AoT in November 2006 about the urgent need to drain water from beneath the tarmac, and the need for immediate action. "The AOT did nothing about the problem," Suebsak Promboon of the EIT later noted. "The situation might not have become this bad if the water had been drained then."
In January 2007, ruts were discovered in the runways at Suvarnabhumi. The east runway was scheduled to close for repairs. Expert opinions have varied widely as to the root cause of the ruts. Airport authorities and airline representatives maintained that the airport was still safe and resisted suggestions that the airport should be completely closed and all flights moved back to Don Muang.
On 27 January 2007, however, the Department of Civil Aviation declined to renew the airport's safety certificate, which expired the previous day. The ICAO requires that international airports hold aerodrome safety certificates, but Suvarnabhumi will continue to operate because the ICAO requirement has yet to be adopted as part of Thai law.
A junta-appointed panel of engineers assigned to inspect the airport noted that damage to the airport was "minute," and "common." According to a panel member, the problem with the runways and taxiways are ruts, not cracks in the asphalt as had previously been claimed. "This is a common type of damage. You see it in airports all over the United States," said Noppodol Phien-Wej, a panel-member. A spokesman for British Airways, also said that "everything is normal," and that "we haven't heard any complaints from the staff."
A two-week investigation led by Tortrakul Yomnak, a chief engineer for Airports of Thailand and a leader of the anti-Thaksin movement, later found that the runway was safe, and that cracks could be repaired in as little as a few hours. At the beginning of the investigation, Tortrakul had warned that the airport might need to be closed for three years.
In a public statement on 15 February 2007, the EIT again strongly recommended that trapped water should be drained out immediately to minimise the potential spread of cracks. Karun Chandrarangsu, president of the Engineering Institute of Thailand noted, "Suvarnabhumi is like a patient in a coma who continues to suffer from severe bleeding. Stopping the blood flow now is more urgent and important than debating what caused the injury."
The military junta used allegedly shoddy construction at the airport as one of the justifications its overthrow of the Thaksin-government, and it later purged the top management of AoT. Critics noted that junta-led investigations were unlikely to reveal an impartial picture of the airport's shortcomings. "Problems are normal for any new airport. In our case it's made more complex because everybody wants to run down the former prime minister," noted Sumet Jumsai, a leading Thai architect.
Capacity
The airport has 2 parallel runways (60 m. wide, 4,000 m. and 3700 m. long) and 2 parallel taxiways to accommodate simultaneous departures and arrivals. It has a total of 120 parking bays (51 with contact gates and 69 remote gates) and 5 of these are capable of accommodating the Airbus A380 aircraft. With a capacity of handling 76 flight operations per hour, both international and domestic flights will share the airport terminal but will be assigned to different parts of the concourse. In the initial phase of construction, it will be capable of handling 45 million passengers and 3 million tonnes of cargo per year. Between the airport hotel and the terminal building are the two 5-storey car park buildings with a combined capacity of 5,000 cars.
Plans to re-open Don Muang for domestic
In January 2007, Thai Airways announced a plan to move some of its domestic operations back to Don Muang International Airport due to overcrowding.
Three days later, the Ministry of Transport recommended temporarily reopening Don Muang while repair work on the runways at Suvarnabhumi proceeds. The recommendation is still subject to approval by the junta's Cabinet. Thai Airways said it would shift most of its domestic flights back, keeping flights with high international passenger connections such as Chiang Mai and Phuket at Suvarnabhumi. Bangkok Airways and One-Two-GO have similar plans. Thai AirAsia said it would not move unless it could shift both its international and domestic operations. Nok Air and PBair were undecided.
Repair and upgrades
Airports of Thailand found that the cost of fixing 60 identified problems at the airport would be less than 1% of the total airline cost and the problems could be fixed in up to four to five years. Dr. Narupol Chaiyut, a member of a committee overseeing service problems at the new airport, estimated that 70% of the problems would be fixed within 2007. 20 of the 60 problems were successfully fixed by February 2007.
Events
On 25 January 2007, due to work to repair the cracks in the taxiways, incoming flights were delayed and several flights were diverted to U-Tapao International Airport .
On 26 November 2008, protestors supporting the People's Alliance for Democracy stormed the airport, occupying the departure lounge and blocking all exits. Three thousand passengers were stranded within the terminal, another 350,000 were stranded within Thailand, as all flights were grounded.
On 2 December 2008, protestors agreed to leave the airport whereby they had been protesting and permitted the resumption of flights. Security checks, clean-ups and recertification once the illegal occupation ended delayed the airport from being fully functional until 05 December 2008.
Specifications
Costing an estimated ?155 billion (US$3.8 billion), the airport has 2 parallel runways (60 m wide, 4000 m and 3700 m long) and two parallel taxiways to accommodate simultaneous departures and arrivals. It has a total of 120 parking bays (51 with contact gates and 69 remote gates), with five of these capable of accommodating the Airbus A380. The main passenger terminal building, with a capacity of handling 76 flight operations per hour, co-locates the international and domestic terminals, though assigning them to different parts of the concourse. In the initial phase of construction, it will be capable of handling 45 million passengers and 3 million tonnes of cargo per year. Above the future underground rail link station and in front of the passenger terminal building is a 600-room hotel operated by Accor Group under the Novotel brand. Between the airport hotel and the terminal building are the two 5-storey car parks with a combined capacity of 5,000 cars.
Long-term plans for four runways flanking two main terminals, two satellite buildings and a low-cost terminal will have a combined capacity capable of handling more than 130 million passengers and 6.4 million tonnes of cargo a year are on the drawing board. The second phase of airport expansion involving the construction of a satellite building south of the main terminal is expected to begin 3 to 5 years after the completion of the first main terminal.
Airports of Thailand PLC (AOT), the owner and operator of Suvarnabhumi Airport, announced on 21 July 2006 that a separate terminal for Low-cost carriers will be built at the airport at a cost of 600 million baht (15.8 million dollars). The budget terminal will be located near Concourse A of the main terminal. It is capable of handling 15 million passengers per year. Its operating concept will be modeled after the LCC terminals of Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Singapore Changi Airport. However, as Don Mueang has been reopened and is also being used by some low-cost domestic airlines, the necessity of a new terminal is unclear and no construction work has started.
Despite claims from the owner of the airport that the new passenger terminal building is the world's largest at 563,000 m², it is now the fourth biggest passenger terminal building in the world. This is behind Hong Kong International Airport (570,000 m²), Beijing Capital International Airport (986,000 m²) with the largest passenger terminal being at Dubai International Airport (Terminal 3 is over 1,500,000 m²). The control tower, however, is still the tallest in the world at 132.2 m (about 433 feet), topping Kuala Lumpur's by about 2 meters.
Jetways, Airlines and destinations
Suvarnabhumi Airport has 51 air bridges. However, many arriving flights must park at remote locations on the ramp, where passengers walk down stairways to the ground and then board buses which transport them to the terminal.
| Destinations by Region |
|---|
- Domestic
- Thailand - Buriram, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hua Hin, Hat Yai, Koh Samui, Krabi, Lampang, Mae Hong Son, Nakhon Phanom, Nan, Narathiwat, Phuket, Ranong, Roi-Et, Sakon Nakhon, Sukhothai, Surat Thani, Trat, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani
- International
- Africa
- Asia
- Central Asia - Almaty, Ashgabat, Tashkent
- East Asia - Beijing, Busan, Chengdu, Daegu, Fukuoka, Guangzhou, Guilin, Haikou, Hiroshima, Hong Kong, Jinghong, Kaohsiung, Kunming, Macau, Nagoya-Centrair, Nanning, Osaka-Kansai, Pyongyang, Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai-Pudong, Shantou, Shenzhen, Taipei-Taoyuan, Tianjin, Tokyo-Narita, Vladivostok, Xiamen, Yekaterinburg
- North Asia - Irkutsk, Novosibirsk
- South Asia - Amritsar, Bangalore, Chennai, Chittagong, Colombo, Delhi, Dhaka, Hyderabad, Gaya, Guwahati, Islamabad, Jaipur, Karachi, Kathmandu, Kolkata, Lahore, Malé, Mumbai, Nagpur, Paro, Varanasi
- Southeast Asia - Bandar Seri Begawan, Cebu, Danang, Denpasar, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Luang Prabang, Manila, Pakse, Penang, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, Singapore, Vientiane, Yangon
- Southwest Asia - Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait, Muscat, Riyadh, Tehran-Imam Khomeini, Tel Aviv
- Europe - Amsterdam, Athens, Berlin-Tegel, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Istanbul-Ataturk, Kiev-Boryspil, London-Heathrow, Madrid, Milan-Malpensa, Moscow-Domodedovo, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Munich, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rome-Fiumicino, Saint Petersburg, Stockholm-Arlanda, Vienna, Warsaw [Seasonal], Zurich
- North America
- Oceania - Auckland, Brisbane, Christchurch, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
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Airlines that operate international flights to and from Suvarnabhumi Airport | Airlines | Destinations |
|---|
| Aeroflot | Moscow-Sheremetyevo | | Aerosvit Airlines | Kiev-Boryspil | | AirAsia
| Kuala Lumpur-Sepang, Johor BahruDenpasar, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur-Sepang, Macau, Penang, Phnom Penh, Shenzhen, Singapore, Xiamen, YangonJakarta | | Air Astana | Almaty | | Air Austral | Saint Denis de la Reunion | | Air Bagan | Yangon | | Air China | Beijing-Capital, Chengdu, Chongqing | | Air France | Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Paris-Charles de Gaulle | | Air India Express | Kolkata | | Air Koryo | Pyongyang | | Air Macau | Macau | | Air Madagascar | Antananarivo, Guangzhou [begins 3 July] | | All Nippon Airways | Tokyo-Narita | | Asiana Airlines | Seoul-Incheon | | Austrian Airlines | Vienna | | Bangkok Airways | Fukuoka, Guilin, Hiroshima, Ho Chi Minh City, Jinghong, Luang Prabang, Macau, Malé, Pakse, Phnom Penh, Shenzhen, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, Xian, Yangon | | Biman Bangladesh Airlines | Dhaka, Singapore | | Best Air | Dhaka | | Blue Panorama Airlines | Milan-Malpensa, Rome-Fiumicino | | British Airways | London-Heathrow, Sydney | | Cathay Pacific | Colombo, Delhi [begins 29 March], Dubai, Hong Kong, Karachi, Mumbai, Singapore | | Cebu Pacific | Clark, Manila | | China Airlines | Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Kaoshiung, Rome-Fiumicino, Taipei-Taoyuan | | China Eastern Airlines | Kunming, Shanghai-Pudong | | China Southern Airlines | Guangzhou, Shantou | | Condor Airlines | Frankfurt | | Drukair | Bagdogra [begins 29 March], Dhaka, Kolkata, Gaya, Paro | | EgyptAir | Beijing-Capital, Cairo, Guangzhou | | El Al Israel Airlines | Tel Aviv | | Emirates | Christchurch, Dubai, Hong Kong, Sydney | | Ethiopian Airlines | Addis Ababa, Guangzhou, Hong Kong | | Etihad Airways | Abu Dhabi | | EVA Air | Amsterdam, London-Heathrow, Taipei-Taoyuan, Vienna | | Finnair | Helsinki | | Garuda Indonesia | Jakarta | | GMG Airlines | Chittagong, Dhaka | | Gulf Air | Bahrain | | Hainan Airlines | Haikou, Nanning | | Hong Kong Express Airways | Hong Kong | | Indian Airlines | Chennai, Delhi, Gaya, Mumbai, Singapore | | Iran Air | Tehran-Imam Khomeini | | Israir Airlines | Tel Aviv | | Japan Airlines | Nagoya-Centrair, Osaka-Kansai, Tokyo-Narita | | Jet Airways | Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai | | Jetstar Asia Airways | Singapore | | Kenya Airways | Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Nairobi | | KLM | Amsterdam, Taipei-Taoyuan | | Korean Air | Busan, Daegu, Seoul-Incheon | | Kuwait Airways | Kuwait, Manila | | KrasAir | Krasnoyarsk | | Lao Airlines | Luang Prabang, Vientiane | | LTU International | Berlin-Tegel, Düsseldorf, Munich [ends 28 April] | | Lufthansa | Frankfurt, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur-Sepang | | Mahan Air | Tehran-Imam Khomeini | | Malaysia Airlines | Kuala Lumpur-Sepang | | Mihin Lanka | Colombo | | Myanmar Airways International | Yangon | | Northwest Airlines | Tokyo-Narita | | Oman Air | Muscat | | Orient Thai Airlines | Hong Kong, Kathmandu, Seoul-Incheon | | Pakistan International Airlines | Hong Kong, Islamabad, Lahore | | PBair | Da Nang | | Philippine Airlines | Manila | | PMTair | Phnom Penh | | President Airlines | Phnom Penh | | QantasJetstar Airways | London-Heathrow, SydneyMelbourne | | Qatar Airways | Doha | | Royal Brunei Airlines | Bandar Seri Begawan | | Royal Jordanian | Amman, Hong Kong | | Nepal Airlines | Kathmandu | | Royal Phnom Penh Airways | Phnom Penh | | S7 Airlines | Irkutsk, Moscow-Domodedovo, Novosibirsk, Tianjin | | Saudi Arabian Airlines | Jeddah, Riyadh | | Scandinavian Airlines System | Copenhagen, Stockholm-Arlanda [ends 29 March] | | Shanghai Airlines | Chongqing, Shanghai-Pudong | | Shenzhen Airlines | Shenzhen [begins March 31,2009] | | Singapore Airlines | Singapore, Tokyo-Narita | | SkyStar Airways | Seoul-Incheon | | SriLankan Airlines | Beijing-Capital, Colombo, Hong Kong | | Swiss International Air Lines | Singapore, Zürich | | Thai Airways International | Athens, Auckland, Bangalore, Beijing-Capital, Brisbane, Busan, Chengdu, Chennai, Colombo, Copenhagen, Delhi, Denpasar/Bali, Dhaka, Dubai, Frankfurt, Fukuoka, Gaya, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Jakarta, Kathmandu, Karachi-Quaide Azam Jinnah, Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur-Sepang, Kunming, Kuwait, Lahore, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Madrid, Manila, Melbourne, Milan-Malpensa, Moscow-Domodedovo, Mumbai, Munich, Muscat, Nagoya-Centrair, Osaka-Kansai, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Penang, Perth, Phnom Penh, Rome-Fiumicino, Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai-Pudong, Singapore, Stockholm-Arlanda, Sydney, Taipei-Taoyuan, Tokyo-Narita, Varanasi, Vientiane, Xiamen, Yangon, Zürich | | Tiger Airways | Singapore | | Transaero | Moscow-Domodedovo, St Petersburg | | Turkish Airlines | Istanbul-Atatürk | | Turkmenistan Airlines | Ashgabat | | Uni Air | Kaohsiung | | United Airlines | Los Angeles, Tokyo-Narita | | Ural Airlines | Yekaterinburg | | Uzbekistan Airways | Tashkent | | Vietnam Airlines | Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City | |
Airlines that operate domestic flights to and from Suvarnabhumi Airport | Airlines | Destinations |
|---|
| Bangkok Airways | Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Krabi, Phuket, Sukhothai, Trat, U Taphao-Rayong | | PBair | Buriram, Lampang, Nakhon Phanom, Nan, Roi Et, Sakon Nakhon | | SGA Airlines | Hua Hin | | Thai AirAsia | Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hat Yai, Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Narathiwat, Phuket, Ranong[38], Surat Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani | | Thai Airways International | Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hat Yai, Koh Samui, Krabi, Phuket | |
Ground transportation
Suvarnabhumi Airport Express (Currently Under Construction)
The construction of the City Airport Terminal in Makkasan and a 28.6 km high-speed rail link to the new airport started in July 2005 and are planned for completion in 12 August 2009, after multiple delays. The airport express, informally known as the Pink Line and operated jointly with SRT's planned Red Line commuter service, will connect with the BTS Sukhumvit Line (Green Line, Route 1) and MRT Blue Line at Phaya Thai and Phetchaburi stations respectively, offering airport-bound passengers a fast 15-minute limited stop journey from the city.
The standard gauge line, forming the eastern section of the Light Red line, will be 28.6 km long and is elevated for most its length, running above existing railway right-of-way, with a short at-grade connection to the airport. Both non-stop Suvarnabhumi Airport Express services and "stopping" Suvarnabhumi Airport City Line commuter services will be operated, with Express journeys taking 15 minutes and Commuter trips 27 minutes.
Siemens is supplying nine Desiro class 360/2 trainsets based on the vehicles built for Heathrow Connect services in London. City services will be worked by five three-car trains, and the Express services by four trainsets with a fourth car for checked baggage. The first trains left Germany in September 2007, and testing in Bangkok was to begin in March 2008.
The line will be electrified at 25 kV AC. All stations are being built for 10-car trains, and fitted with platform screen doors. Top speed will be 160 km/h, but the short distances mean that City services will not actually reach that speed.
Train
Meanwhile, SRT provides a suburban commuter train service between Hua Takhe (the nearest station to Suvarnabhumi on the East line) and the northern suburban city of Rangsit via downtown Bangkok and the old Don Mueang Airport. The train also connects with BTS and MRT at Phaya Thai and Phetchaburi stations respectively. Passengers pay a flat fare of Bt30. A shuttle bus service linking the airport with Hua Takhe railway station is provided by BMTA for Bt15. The train service is currently not as popular as the bus service because the fact that it requires a shuttle bus connection. The service will be stopped when the Airport Express Link is completed.
CityBus
The airport operates 4 airport express bus routes to downtown Bangkok. The buses are air-conditioned with ample luggage space. The fare is 150 baht for the entire route. Passengers can get on the bus on the first floor of the terminal. The four routes are as follows:
Additionally, 12 city bus routes operated by Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) serve the airport's dedicated bus terminal. City buses offer a cheaper alternative of Bt35 flat fare, compared with the airport express bus. However, passengers must take a shuttle bus to the public transportation center's bus terminal before they can board the regular city buses. The 12 routes available are as follows:
All of the city buses and inter-city buses are air-conditioned.
Public Taxi
Metered taxis are available on the same level as the arrival hall. There is a 50 baht surcharge on the meter. The trips to the city will cost 200 – 400 baht (plus highway tolls of 70 baht) and will take about 30 – 40 min. depending on traffic.
Car
The airport has 5 main access routes. Among these the most convenient route is via the Bangkok Chon Buri Motorway (Highway No. 7). Another main airport entrance is in Samut Prakan province via the expressway from Bang Na to Bang Pakong.
Limousines
Additionally, flat-fare limousines are available at the Arrivals Level (2nd floor). Limousine services are provided by AOT. The Thai Royal First service is discontinued.
Departure tax
Since February 1, 2007 the 700 Baht departure tax was included in the price of flight tickets. Before that date, departing passengers had to pay the tax to officials or vending machines before they entered the immigration queues. Before the opening of Suvarnabhumi Airport, the fee was 500 THB per person.
See also
External links
- and the
- Project information from Airport Technology
- from MCOT
- from MCOT
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