New airport to open sometime 'next year'

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New airport to open sometime `next year'

 

Suriya: No later than "next year"

Suriya concedes that delays are `inevitable'

 

AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK SARITDET MARUKATAT

 

Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreang-kit has admitted for the first time that delays in Suvarnabhumi international airport's opening are inevitable but vowed it would be no later than ``next year''.

 

The minister said a new opening date for the airport in Samut Prakan's Bang Phli district would be decided on next month. When asked exactly when it might open, he replied: ``The country will definitely use the airport next year.''

 

The original opening date was set for Sept 29, 2005.

 

On Feb 5, the chairman of the Airports Authority of Thailand, Srisook Chandrangsu, cited March 2006 as the date when Suvarnabhumi international airport would take over from Don Muang. The minister had planned on revealing the new launch date last Thursday, but has now opted to wait for another month.

 

``I wanted to first see how the construction work was moving along and find out to what extent the Songkran break might affect the schedule,'' he said.

 

Mr Suriya described this month as ``critical'' because of the long holiday, while the upcoming rainy season could also disrupt the construction schedule.

 

But he stressed that any postponement in the opening would only be announced once, to avoid causing unnecessary confusion.

 

``The government does not want to make one announcement after another like other airports,'' he said.

 

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will visit the site again next month to get an update on progress, he said.

 

Mr Thaksin camped out at the site last September to examine the construction process himself in the hope that his presence would speed up the work.

 

The airport is being built to allow for 45 million passengers a year and the government will use it to replace Don Muang and to strengthen the kingdom as a Southeast Asian aviation hub amid competition from Singapore's Changi and Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur international airport.

 

The minister conceded that the delay seemed inevitable given the amount of work involved. But he defended the government's decision to set Sept 29, 2004 as the original launch date so construction firms could keep their work plans intact.

 

``I knew from the beginning it would be difficult to meet that deadline. But the deadline had to be set to avoid complacency,'' he said.

 

Mr Suriya said the delay would have no effect on airlines' plans to move from Don Muang to the new airport and added that informing them three months in advance would be sufficient notice.

 

A key step after the completion of the building work is to get the International Civil Aviation Organisation (Icao) to check the site and decide whether or not to approve safety and other standards. Without Icao approval, the airport won't be able to open. Mr Suriya said the government would not rush to open the airport if any safety issues remained in doubt.

 

Bangkok Post

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