Bangkok main international air gateway will repair its East Runway between June 11 and August 9 with delays to be expected as traffic will be alleviated on one runway only…
BANGKOK- Repairing the runway has been a necessity according to Airports of Thailand (AOT) President Flying Officer Anirut Thanamkulbutra. “Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport will celebrate its 6th year of operations this coming September. The runways have been heavily used, servicing more than 1,500,000 flights so far. Though the runways and aircraft apron are under constant, close supervision for any necessary repairs, it is time for a major resurfacing to ensure continuous high standard and utmost safety for all future flights”.
AOT promises that the airport will continue its normal operations during the resurfacing of 1,620 meters of the northern-end of East Runway from June 11 to August 9. “The repair works covers only 1,620 meters – out of the total length of 4,000 meters and will involve overlaying the surface with 10 cm of asphalt concrete,” explained Somchai Sawasdeepon, General Manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport. During this 40 days of partial closure, more than 2,000 m of the runway will remain in operation allowing small aircraft up to the size of an Airbus A320 to take-off and land. In a second phase, 3,000 m of runway will continue to be operational, allowing all types of aircraft except the Airbus A380. The West Runway will accommodate most aircraft movements during the time of heavy maintenance with possible delays in aircraft movements at the airport. AOT and various State Agencies have been working on necessary preparation and coordination to ensure that all airport operations and services will continue to run smoothly.
Opened in 2006, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport has been running almost at full capacity since day one due to the inability of the Government and AOT to anticipate the growth in traffic and plan well ahead of requested capacity. The airport opened with a total capacity for 45 million passengers at a time when Bangkok airport already welcomed over 42 million passengers. Last year, the airport welcomed over 47 million passengers (+12.5%) and is expecting to pass the 50 million mark in 2012. From January to April, traffic was again up by over 8%. The airport authority recently completed the construction of additional immigration lanes at departures level and just approved a plan to expand the airport to a capacity of 65 million passengers, due for completion by 2017.
Table: Evolution of passengers traffic (in million) at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport from 2006 to 2011.
– Fluctuations in passengers’ traffic in the years 2007 and 2008 are due to the reactivation of Bangkok old airport at Don Muang. 
(Source: AOT)
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
![[PR] PR_Ascott and Vimut Hospital_2024](https://www.traveldailynews.asia/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PR-PR_Ascott-and-Vimut-Hospital_2024-400x265.jpg)
