Safety concerns - Suvarnabhumi Airport Bangkok
 

Any Fodorites have a personal update on the extremely worrying drama unfolding at the new Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok?

Media reports, like the one in Sydney Morning Herald linked below, on the safety of Suvarnabhumi Airport due to runway/taxiway cracks resulting in several flights being diverted are alarming.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/travel/ai...594472127.html

Yesterday, it was also reported in the Bangkok Post that the new airport was denied a continuation of its initial International Safety Certification by the Department of Civil Aviation (from the ThiaVisa thread) http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/php?id=116327

A trawl through Google indicates some Thai officials are now indicating that the airport may be closed for repairs and flights diverted to Don Muang.

My dearheart is travelling Sydney-Bangkok on Wednesday 31Jan arr. 23:10 and then a direct SAS connection to Copenhagen departing 00:25. I’m really concerned for his safety, and am wondering whether I should put my bossy-boots on and nag for a change of schedule bypassing Bangkok altogether. Chances of making the connecting flight, with delays of 8 hours being reported, are probably impossible too.

Qantas have no updates on their website under Major Disruptions, but don’t think it’s been updated since Thursday due to the Austr. Day public holiday yesterday – so no help there. I know the new airport has had major setbacks since before it even opened (cracks on the runways) but this latest development is very worrying.

Anyone considering changing their flight plans? Anyone arrived/departed from Suvarnabhumi in the past few days?

Any info much appreciated!
Jackie

i would have no worries....remember newspapers love to play this type of thing up....also the new government loves to expose things that make the last government look bad and full of graft...

if there is a danger the airport would be closed....

i'm not saying there are not surface problems, but i think things may be overestimated..

Expect unpredictable delays. Two days ago my domestic flight departed on time but had to circle around Bangkok for 45 minutes waiting for landing clearance.

FurryTiles. I can understand your concern and would add the following comments;
1) Hanuman's experience of 45 circling of the airport is not at all uncommon and is probably due to heavy traffic and ATC's getting used to the new sytems rather than problems with the runway. I fly to/from London, Heathrow where this is a regular occurrence.
2) Civil aircraft are worth many millions and I seriously doubt doubt that the airlines, now that they are aware of the issue, will risk their most valuable assets using unsafe runways.
3) SAS are one of the safest airlines in the world and I doubt they would take any risks with their passengers or their aircraft, but you may wish to raise your concerns with them directly.

I am flying to BKK in a2 months and will keep an eye on developments but have no intention of changing my palans at this point.

Hi Crellston, yep know the frequent occurrence of circling at various airports ;) But in this instance, it seems to be caused by closure of runways due to cracks, and closure of docking bays due to subsidence, if one is to place any credence on the many media reports.

My reference to airlines scrutinizing the fine-print of their insurance was not really about their precious aircraft, but a class-action by passenges/relatives should anything untoward happen at an airport that is now not internationally safety cleared.

Hopefully all will be sorted/repaired by the time you arrive in 2 months time, but my concern is in 4 days time ... and I think I'll put on those bossy-boots and check alternative flights to Copenhagen from Sydney that don't include Bangkok.

British Airways staff are planning a strike 31 Jan - so cancelled BA flights will add to the probs!

Happy travels, ay!
Jackie

FurryTiles:

Just got back from bangkok. We had no problems at the new airport. The newspapers are full of stories about the airport, particularly the cracks on the taxiways leading to one of the runways. That runway has been closed for repairs and they are using the other runway. They are talking about reopening the old airport for domestic flights only and that may happen in march.

I couldn't help but note that your screen name "FurryTiles" is very apropriate for this thread. We noticed that the finish in the new airport is very shoddy, particularly the floor tiles. All the edges look very "furry" !!!

Just passed through Suvarnabhumi with no problems, other than it's ridiculous terminal layout. Made the flight connection (coming from Sydney and going on to Hanoi) with no problems.

Flying through there again tomorrow morning on the way back to Sydney, will report back any issues!

We're flying into Bangkok in a few days, and while the issues pointed out are a little worrying, its a little too plan to do anything about it. So we're just going to keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best...

I just flew out of Bangkok yesterday and will be flying back there Monday. No problems on the outbound flight.

I've had several discussions with different people who should know about the airport - some of them with direct connections to the current government.

First and foremost - you simply cannot trust anything you read in the paper. They may be saying they're quoting government ministers, but you can be sure the minister in question didn't say it, at least not as it's being reported. The Bangkok Post has an 'issue' with the new airport, and simply will not rest until they prove something's seriously wrong with it.

Another party with ulterior motives is Thai Airways. They have the ground services contract for Don Muang, but lost the bidding for the new airport. The ground services were worth a significant chunk of Thai's income, which they've lost when don Muang closed, so it's in their interest to see the old airport re-open.

Oh, great, add a new item to my list of worries! Military coup on the day I book our flights in September, bombs in Bkk New Year's Eve, and now unsafe landings?

<font color="green">Cyn</font>

Grateful to all for the feedback.

Thanks MichaelBKK for that update :)
Especially from one in the know and on the ground! I see what you mean about direct quotes from 'officials' - even the &quot;senior Thai captain&quot; with so much to say in the article posted, remains curiously anonymous. Mmmmmm

Qantas has issued no &quot;Major Disruptions&quot; http://www.qantas.com.au/info/disruptions regarding Bangkok airport, (but yes, one on the BA cabin crew strike on Wed/Thursd) and last night's QF1 from Sydney took off and arrived at Suvarnabhumi without too much delay. Phew, so flights are continuing 'as per normal'.

Found Suvarnabhumi's arrival/departure website to check the incidence and time of delays at
http://www.bangkokairportonline.com/node/129

Think I'll unlace those bossy-boots and just give DH a printout of the Novotel hotel right in the airport, just in case he misses the SAS connecting flight.

Anyone stayed there?

Cyn, looks like you're in for an exciting Thai holiday ;)

Jackie

michael....point well taken and the post is not the only one with these axes to grind!!

There are a lot of &quot;unsafe&quot; places one can go to. Just check the State Department's advisory.

As for air travel, since 2005, the TSA has advised that DPS (Bali/Despensar airport) doesn't satisfy ICAO security measures. But plenty of Americans and many more Australians continue to fly there. Continental Airlines also continue to serve that airport despite that &quot;danger&quot;.

And safety is a subjective thing, even in Western countries like the UK. 2 weeks ago, easyjet canceled all flights to Bristol, England, calling the temporary runway surface there &quot;unsafe&quot;. And there were two incidents where planes skidded off in wet conditions. Some other airlines followed, but not all. A few, like Continental, did not cancel a single flight from Newark to Bristol.

I agree with others that if Qantas, SAS and other airlines continue to fly there, then there's nothing for you to worry about.

Just got into Sydney after passing through Suvarnabhumi in the last 10 hours; international arrival (from Hanoi) and intl departure (to Sydney).

No discernible problems whatsoever. Other than the preponderance of shopping temptations! The King of Duty Free indeed.

Okay, I read a little more about the new BKK's problem. It's actually <b>very serious</b> for its mid- to long-term prospect (or even survival). But it's not a short-term safety concern for those who are flying there, other than some possible delays.

For those who're interested, here are some more articles.

This one has quotes from a very reputable architect that seem to know what he's talking about:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007...s_30025296.php

And this news report says Don Muang will be reopened for some domestic flights in the next 45-60 days. [Note: not that it will open and operate for the next 45-60 days, but that it'll open IN 45-60 days. The problem at Suvarnablhumi is very serious and will take years if not decades to solve.]

http://www.bangkokpost.net/topstorie....php?id=116400

'Sydney Morning Herald' has an update this morning too, &quot;Thai Airport Woes Threaten Tourist Chaos&quot;
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/tha...919274619.html

and the Airport's own website has a news thread with updates,
http://www.bangkokairportonline.com/taxonomy/term/1

Apparently the reason Don Muang can't be put to immediate use is because its western runway also needs repair.
http://www.bangkokpost.net/News/30Jan2007_news01.php

Well, in spite of all the media articles about ‘chaos,’ ‘unsafe runways’ and ‘long delays,’ I’m thrilled to report that DH’s Sydney to Copenhagen travels went relatively smoothly and without major disruptions. He departed Sydney yesterday evening at 18:00, arrived in Bangkok at 23:30, just 20 minutes late – and the connecting SAS flight departed with a 15 minute delay, at 00:45 today – so actually well synchronised!
His SAS flight arrived 30 minutes late at Copenhagen, so must have experienced some headwinds, lol.

I’ve been tracking all the flights through the various websites and I’m now waiting for his phone call to give the lowdown on his one-hour experience of Suvarnabhumi - and those brilliant looking beds on the SAS long-hauls. He’s waiting now (hopefully ;)), for a connecting flight to Stockholm (conference) and would never have attempted 30 hours of continuous airtravel (four flights) if it wasn’t for those beds!

Sadly, the long-term prognosis for Suvarnabhumi doesn’t look very positive and as rkkwan said, it’s actually very serious. Looks like some domestic flights will move to Don Muang by early March, which could indeed prove a major headache for those international visitors (like Crellston perhaps?) flying on to other popular Thai tourist areas/islands.

DH is doing the exact same trip in reverse later this month – fingers crossed.

Jackie

I heard one jet's wheel got stuck in a sinkhole as it was taxiing. They had to use a tug to pull it out. Pretty embarrassing to say the least. That area used to be wetlands so expect more of this.

ALL of Bangkok used to be wet lands. ALL of Bangkok is sinking. There is not place within 100 miles of Bangkok where they could have built an airport and not had subsidence problems. It's something they've just had to deal with.

Yes, they need to deal with that. But that be should be done when designing the building the new airport. Not half a year after it's been opened! :)

They can drill piles, etc, to make it work. I mean, the Japanese have built at least two major airports on man-made islands. Yes, they're sinking, but that's expected, and the designs have allowed for that.

The Thais, on the other hand...