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Bangkok's experience with a new airport - lesson for Bangalore

20 March 2008 - 5:28pm — mcadambi

Bangkok's experience with it's new Suvarnabhumi International Airport provides good lessons for Bangalore. The earlier Don Muang Airport has been retained by the Government of Thailand because of capacity constraints in the new Suvarnabhumi Airport.

BIAL itself has to contend with more than projected capacity when it starts itself. If in three years, AAI could not get the ATC control in place for even this capacity, then one wonders how will BIAL realistically be able to handle more growth rates.

One possible solution would be to award the HAL airport to BIAL. That way the concessionaires do not face competition and could still continue to use HAL airport for short haul flights and flights during peak hours. The other advantage is growth in air traffic could easily be shared between both airports.

Thailand's experience with new airport:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suvarnabhumi_Airport#Capacity

navshot's picture

facts

navshot - 24 Mar 2008 - 9:38am

These are the key facts that I could take away.

- This airport can handle 45 million passengers a year with two runways.

- plan to re-open the old airport seems to be primarily to avoid inconvenience during repair work of the runway at the new airport (which should not have had these issues, in the first place).

Now, you decide whether they apply to Bangalore or not.

-- navshot
s_yajaman's picture

Bangkok story

s_yajaman - 24 Mar 2008 - 10:23am

We need to look at the political situation in Thailand that was present when Suvrnabhoomi airport opened.  A coup had happened in which Thaksin Shinawatra was overthrown very soon after Suvranabhoomi opened.

 

Suvarnabhoomi airport was a pet project of Thaksin.  The military dictatorship went out of its way to show that a lot of corruption was involved in the contracts given by Thaksin (or his govt.).  I believe the airport tarmac or apron (don't remember) had cracks.  Serious talk was on to shut down the airport completely for repairs and move back the operations to Don Muang. 

 

I believe very few airlines shifted to Don Muang. 

 

Dirty politics is not limited to India :)

 

Srivathsa

 

BTW - for those who have not used Don Muang, it was a pretty good airport  even when it shut down.  It had about 65 or 70 gates and an elevated tollway (about 15 km long) connecting it to the city; inspite of which it would take 2 hrs to reach the centre of the city.

 

 

Drive safe.  It is not just the car maker which can recall its product.

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