Suvarnabhumi – 1 Year Later

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Thailand Musings I first went to Thailand in 1997 and immediately fell in love with the country. Thailand at that time to me was mysterious and exotic, full of potentials and pitfalls. Fast forward to 2010 and here I am after 13 years and many trips to the LOS sharing, with the help of my beautiful wife Golf, my experiences and knowledge with you here at Thailand Musings. Thailand may have lost some mystery for me, but it is still exotic and wonderful and I will always remember that first feeling when I stepped out into the Bangkok smog for the first time. I have yet to learn everything about Thailand and thankfully for all of us Golf is here to correct me when I err.

28 September 2007 ~ 0 Comments

Suvarnabhumi – 1 Year Later

It has been 1 year since Suvarnabhumi Airport opened in Bangkok on September 28, 2006. At that time touted to be a rival for the airports in Singapore and Hong Kong, Suvarnabhumi has instead been nothing but an embarrassment to the Airports of Thailand (AoT) agency.

Built at an official cost of 121.4 billion baht (with some estimates as high as 155 billion baht), and still climbing due to necessary repairs, Suvarnabhumi has been covered in allegations of corruption and favoritism during it’s entire life due to connections with the former PM Taksin Shinawatra.

A recent report from the AoT shows 61 problems identified in a 104 page report. Of these only 30 have been addressed thus far and these are said to be the most simple problems. The AoT has had little time to focus on larger issues at Suvarnabhumi due to the breadth of the problems being encountered which range from runway cracks to a shortage of restrooms.

Indeed the problems with passenger flow have been so great that the 94 year old airport Don Muang has been re-opened in March 2007 to serve domestic flights within Thailand. Even this has not been sufficient to stem the passenger problems at Suvarnabhumi and recently the suggestion to route some International flights back to Don Muang has been made, although this is being fought by the airlines, most notably by Thai Airways who would incur significant costs.

Honestly when you consider the way things work in Thailand none of this is surprising. Look at the ghost towers that dot Bangkok or the abandoned pylons for the BTS that was supposed to connect all the way out to Don Muang. Corruption, payoffs and saving face are so common in Thailand that you can’t expect it will change and honestly why should it? It’s the Thai’s country and their culture. They can conduct business anyway they see fit and who are we to judge, because it seems to work very well for them. We seem to have the idea in the West that we do everything the best way possible, and that may be true, IF YOU’RE IN THE WEST. As the saying goes, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”.

Just don’t expect to see any sweeping changes at Suvarnabhumi anytime soon…if ever.

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