March 21, 2009
Bangkok (ASTV Manager Online) – Many parties agreed to the dual airport idea because Don Muang Airport could be used to serve passengers in case Suvarnabhumi Airport was not available.
A workshop was held on March 19, and representatives from private sector and relating units disagreed to the concept of the single airport.
Most participants thought that Don Muang Airport should be used to serve the domestic flights and passengers in case the Suvarnabhumi Airport is not available.
Nok Air confirmed it would not move back to Suvarnabhumi as that would mean the airline had to spend another 50 million baht on relocation.
85 percent of its customers were domestic flyers.
Most people supported the dual airport to serve any emergency cases and facilitate domestic flights, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
Dual airport was also backed by the Tourism Council of Thailand. Don Muang was considered an alternative if a problem occurred at Suvarnabhumi.
Association of Domestic Travel also questioned if Suvarnabhumi was really ready to become the regional hub.
Don Muang Airport lost about 193 million baht in 2008, according to the Airports of Thailand (AOT).
It was estimated that the total passengers would drop to 40 million in 2010 even though Suvarnabhumi can serve up to 45 million people per year.
