Suvarnabhumi Airport
ท่าอากาศยานสุวรรณภูมิ
(Sanskrit: Suvarṇa – Gold, Bhūmi – Land) |
| 250px |
 |
| IATA: BKK – ICAO: VTBS |
| Summary |
| Airport type |
Public |
| Operator |
Airports of Thailand |
| Serves |
Bangkok |
| Location |
Bang Phli, Samut Prakan, Thailand |
| Hub for |
Bangkok Airways
Orient Thai Airlines
Thai AirAsia
Thai Airways International |
| Elevation AMSL |
5 ft / 2 m |
| Coordinates |
13°41′33″N 100°45′0″E / 13.6925°N 100.75°E / 13.6925; 100.75Coordinates: 13°41′33″N 100°45′0″E / 13.6925°N 100.75°E / 13.6925; 100.75 |
| Website |
SuvarnabhumiAirport.com |
| Map |
|
Location in Samut Prakan Province of Greater Bangkok |
| Runways |
| Direction |
Length |
Surface |
| m |
ft |
| 01R/19L |
4,000 |
13,123 |
Asphalt |
| 01L/19R |
3,700 |
12,139 |
Asphalt |
| Statistics (2011) |
| Passengers |
47,910,904 |
| Aircraft movements |
299,566 |
| Source: Airports of Thailand[1] |
Suvarnabhumi Airport (Thai: ท่าอากาศยานสุวรรณภูมิ, pronounced [sù.wān.nā.pʰūːm]) (IATA: BKK, ICAO: VTBS) (meaning 'Golden Land' in Sanskrit), also known as (New) Bangkok International Airport, is an international airport serving Bangkok, Thailand. It was officially opened for limited domestic flight service on 15 September 2006, and opened for most domestic and all international commercial flights on 28 September 2006.[2] The airport is currently the main hub for Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways, Orient Thai Airlines, and Thai AirAsia. It also serves as regional gateway and connecting point for various foreign carriers.
The airport is located in Racha Thewa in Bang Phli district, Samut Prakan Province, about 25 kilometres (16 mi) east of downtown Bangkok. The name Suvarnabhumi was chosen by King Bhumibol Adulyadej and refers to the golden kingdom hypothesised to have been located somewhere in Southeast Asia.
Designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn Architects and constructed primarily by ITO JV, the airport has the world's tallest free-standing control tower (132.2 metres / 434 feet), and the world's 4th largest single-building airport terminal (563,000 square metres / 6,060,000 square feet). Suvarnabhumi is the 6th busiest airport in Asia, and the busiest in the country, having handled 47.9 million passengers in 2011,[1] and is also a major air cargo hub, with a total of 96 airlines. On social networks, Suvarnabhumi is the world's 2nd most popular place where Instagram photos were taken in 2011.[3] The airport inherited the airport code BKK from Don Mueang after the older airport ceased international commercial flights. A modern motorway no.7 connects the airport, Bangkok, and the heavily industrial Eastern Seaboard of Thailand, where most of the manufacturing for export takes place.
Border between the concourse and the terminal seen from the arrival area
Inner courtyard as seen from the luggage claim room
Inner courtyard and terminal structure by night
A
play area, titled
Wonder World, at the airport's departure lounge.
Planning of a second international airport for Bangkok started in the early 1960s. The process was slow from the start: as early as 1968, critics were already charging that the project was "five to seven years" behind the main schedule.[4]
The 8,000-acre (32 km2) plot of land occupied by the airport was purchased in 1973, but the student-led protests on 14 October that year led the overthrow of the military government of Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn and the project was shelved.[5] After a series of ups and downs, the "New Bangkok International Airport" company (NBIA) was formed in 1996. Due to political and economic instabilities, notably the Asian financial crisis of 1997, the civil construction began six years later in January 2002 by the government of Thaksin Shinawatra. The airport is located in a once low-lying marsh, formerly known as Nong Ngu Hao (Thai: หนองงูเห่า, lit. "Cobra Swamp"), which took 5 years (1997–2001) to clear make a land reclamation. In 2005, the construction supervision and management was transferred to the Airports of Thailand PLC, while the NBIA company was dissolved.
Fifty percent of the airport's construction cost was covered by Airports of Thailand, while the another 50% was from a friendly agreement of AOT and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). Airport-related procurement followed JBIC's stringent guidelines for transparency and openness. Despite populism regarding the airport as being built for passengers, Thai and foreign exporting companies in the area for a long time wanted a round the clock airport built along with a modern motorway between factories, Bangkok, and the port of Laem Chabang.
The airport was due to open in late 2005, but a series of budget overruns, construction flaws, and allegations of corruption plagued the project.
A further delay was caused by the discovery that the airport had been built over an old graveyard, and superstitious construction workers claimed to have seen ghosts there. On 23 September 2005, the Thai airports authority held a ceremony where 99 Buddhist monks chanted to appease the spirits.[6]
Symbolic first test flights involving two Thai Airways aircraft were held on 29 September 2005, a previously announced deadline for opening.
Full tests of the airport took place on 3 and 29 July 2006. Six airlines – Thai Airways International, Nok Air, Thai Air Asia, Bangkok Airways, PBair and One-Two-GO – used the airport as a base for 20 domestic flights.[7][8] The first international test flights were conducted on 1 September 2006. Two THAI's aircraft, Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A300-600, simultaneously departed the airport at 09:19 to Singapore and Hong Kong. At 15:50 the same aircraft flew back and made simultaneous touchdowns on runways 19L and 19R. These test flights demonstrated the readiness of the airport to handle heavy traffic.
On 15 September 2006, the airport started limited daily operations with Jetstar Asia Airways operating three Singapore to Bangkok flights 3K511.[clarification needed] The first commercial arrival Singapore flight 3K512 and Thai Airways International operating some domestic flights to Phitsanulok, Chiang Mai and Ubon Ratchathani. Bangkok Airways moved on 21 September, AirAsia and Thai AirAsia followed suit on 25 September and on 26 September Nok Air moved to Suvarnabhumi Airport. During this initial phase, as well as in the previous tests, the airport used the temporary IATA code NBK.
Suvarnabhumi officially opened at 03:00 on 28 September 2006, taking over all flights from Don Mueang. The first flight to arrive was Lufthansa Cargo flight LH8442 from Mumbai at 03:05.[9] The first commercial when officially opened arrival was from Japan Airlines at 03:30. The first passenger arrival was Aerosvit flight VV171 from Kiev at 04:30, and the first cargo departure was Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SV-984 to Riyadh at 05:00.[10] Aerosvit also had the first passenger departure (VV172 to Kiev) around 05:30.[11]
Many difficulties were recorded in the first few days of the airport's operation. On the first day alone, sluggish luggage claims were common – the very first passenger arrival by Aerosvit took an hour for the luggage to start coming out, and some flights did not have their luggage coming out even after four hours. Also flights were delayed (Thai Airways claimed that 17 of 19 flights were delayed that day), and there were also failures with the check-in system.[12][13] Subsequent problems included the failure of the cargo computer system, and the departure boards displaying the wrong information, resulting in confused passengers (especially as unlike Don Muang, there were no "final calls" issued).[14]
Months into its opening, issues such as congestion, construction quality, signage, provision of facilities, and soil subsidence continued to plague the project, prompting calls to reopen Don Mueang to allow for repairs to be done.[15] Expert opinions varied widely regarding the extent of Suvarnabhumi's problems as well as their root cause; most airlines stated that damage to the airport was minimal.[16][17] Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont decided on 16 February 2007 to reopen Don Mueang for domestic flights on a voluntary basis, with 71 weekly flights moved back initially, with no international flights allowed.[18]
The Engineering Institute of Thailand conducted investigations at the airport in late 2006 after signs of distress were spotted at several locations in Suvarnabhumi's taxiways and taxilanes. Rutting was found in five of the six taxilanes and one of the six taxiways. Plastic deformation of the asphalt wearing course was observed near the takeoff position of the runway. However, the investigators noted that plastic deformation at this location was a common phenomenon and only routine maintenance was required to repair the distress. Aside from this surface distortion, both runways were in good structural condition.
Further investigations found that taxilane and taxiway rutting was caused by separation of the asphalt binder from the aggregate surface due to prolonged water infiltration into the asphalt concrete base course, a phenomenon known as "stripping." The 23-centimetre (9.1 in) thick base course is the top-most layer of the tarmac. Core samples indicated that the concrete base course material contained the correct job mix and aggregate gradation. Below the base course are the binder course, the wearing course, and the cement-treated base.
Detailed investigations found that water seepage was evident along the rims of the expansion joints in the cement-tested base, indicating that a large quantity of water was still trapped in the sand blanket (the bottom-most layer of the tarmac). It was found that water trapped in the sand blanket was fully confined with no connection to the pavement areas of the airport. A later investigation by the AoT identified several potential reasons for the trapped water in the sand blanket. The AoT's findings were disputed by several experts.
The Engineering Institute of Thailand sent a formal warning to the AoT in November 2006 about the urgent need to drain water from beneath the tarmac, and the need for immediate action. "The AOT did nothing about the problem," Suebsak Promboon of the EIT later noted. "The situation might not have become this bad if the water had been drained then."
In January 2007, ruts were discovered in the runways at Suvarnabhumi.[19] The east runway was scheduled to close for repairs. Expert opinions have varied widely as to the root cause of the ruts.[16] Airport authorities and airline representatives maintained that the airport was still safe and resisted suggestions that the airport should be completely closed and all flights moved back to Don Muang.[20]
On 27 January 2007, however, the Department of Civil Aviation declined to renew the airport's safety certificate, which expired the previous day. The ICAO requires that international airports hold aerodrome safety certificates, but Suvarnabhumi will continue to operate because the ICAO requirement has yet to be adopted as part of Thai law.[21]
The airport has two parallel runways (60 m. wide, 4,000 m. and 3,700 m. long) and two parallel taxiways to accommodate simultaneous departures and arrivals. It has a total of 120 parking bays (51 with contact gates and 69 remote gates) and 8 parking bays (5 contact gates and 3 remote gates) of these are capable of accommodating the Airbus A380 aircraft. With a capacity of handling 76 flight operations per hour, both international and domestic flights will share the airport terminal but will be assigned to different parts of the concourse. In the initial phase of construction, it will be capable of handling 45 million passengers and 3 million tonnes of cargo per year. Between the airport hotel and the terminal building are the two 5-storey car park buildings with a combined capacity of 5,000 cars.
In January 2007, Thai Airways announced a plan to move some of its domestic operations back to Don Muang International Airport due to overcrowding. Three days later, the Ministry of Transport recommended temporarily reopening Don Muang while repair work on the runways at Suvarnabhumi proceeds. At that time, Thai Airways said it would shift most of its domestic flights back, keeping flights with high international passenger connections such as Chiang Mai and Phuket at Suvarnabhumi. On 28 March 2009, Thai Airways discontinued all domestic flights from Don Muang. Bangkok Airways and One-Two-GO had similar plans, but Bangkok Airways remained at Suvarnabhumi. Thai AirAsia said it would not move unless it could shift both its international and domestic operations, and they remain at Suvarnabhumi for this reason. Nok Air and PBair were undecided, but Nok Air later relocated all their flights to Don Muang, where they operate today.[22][23] As of January 2010, only Nok Air and One-Two-Go operate domestic flights from Don Muang Airport. PBair have ceased operations altogether. One-Two-Go was integrated into Orient Thai Airlines in July 2010 but continues to operate from Don Muang Airport.
Airports of Thailand found that the cost of fixing 60 identified problems at the airport would be less than 1% of the total airline cost and the problems could be fixed in up to four to five years. Dr. Narupol Chaiyut, a member of a committee overseeing service problems at the new airport, estimated that 70% of the problems would be fixed within 2007. 20 of the 60 problems were successfully fixed by February 2007.[24]
Suvarnabhumi Airport main terminal roof is designed with structural elements and bays placed in a cantilevered wavelike form to appear to “float” over the concourse beneath. This overall design principal was to express the former essence of the site, from which the water had to be drained before construction could begin. The eight composite 2,710-ton Trusses supporting the canopy of the main Terminal are essentially diagrams of the bending movements acting on them, with the greatest depth at mid-span and over the supports. These mega-trusses are composed of three smaller trusses joined via pin connections: the middle truss acting similarly to a drop-in beam flanked by two cantilevered trusses. The outer and inner trusses address compression inversely to one another. Whereas the top of the middle truss is formed by two cords to account for the compression of the roof structure, the bottom of the cantilevered trusses is formed by two chords, sense the concentration of compression reverses when the outer-trusses are cantilevered.[25]
The integration of structural form into overall aesthetic is a phenomenon personally describes by Helmut Jahn as “Archi-Neering”. These integrations include works on the advanced long span lightweight steel trusses coupled with exposed pre-cast concrete structures, low e-coated glass facade system, three layer translucent membrane, integrated cooling, using water as a low energy carrier and the thermal mass of concrete and a displacement ventilation system with minimal air-changes.
The result of Helmut Jahn’s vision is a structure with performance materials serve in their total composition and in use more than in their conventional roles. This maximizes daylight use in comfort with substantial enegy life cycle cost savings. The installed cooling system reduced up to 50% compared to a conventional system. A translucent membrane with three layers was developed to mediate between the interior and exterior climate, dealing with noise and temperature transmission, while still allowing natural flow of daylight into building.[26]
Suvarnabhumi Airport main terminal characteristic green building envelop utilizes a minimalist structural form of point fix facade called cable truss system. The structure relied on pre-tensioned highly compacted dia.14mm stainless steel cable supported by compression spreader strut elements between two vertical trusses to provide stability. Dead loads are supported by dia.16mm high tensile stainless rod that were engineered right inside the main body of the point fix clamp making the DL rods to appear hidden between the glass silicon.
Suvarnabhumi Airport has taken numerous measures to protect it from flooding. The airport area is surrounded by a 3 metre high, 23.5 km long earth dyke. Within the area protected by the dyke there are numerous canals, including one running along the inside of the dyke, which drain into 6 reservoirs. The reservoirs hold up to 4 million cubic metes of water. At the southern boundary of the airport there are two water pumping stations, each has 4 pumps that pump 12 cubic metres (12,000 litres) of water per second (or 1 million cubic metres per day). The pumped water is discharged into 2 canals, Khlong Lat Krabang and Khlong Bang Chalong, which flow south to the Gulf of Thailand.[27]
On 25 January 2007, due to work to the upgrading the taxiways, which was suffered by a small crack, few incoming flights were delayed and several flights were safety diverted to a nearby operating U-Tapao International Airport in Rayong province.[28]
On 26 November 2008, an illegal occupation of the airport took place by People's Alliance for Democracy, closing the departure lounge and blocking exits, causing almost three thousand passengers stranded within the main terminal, another 350,000 were stranded inside the country, as all flights were grounded for a short while.People's Alliance for Democracy Seizure Control tower On 12.00 am[29] On 2 December 2008, protesters agreed to leave the airport as they had been illegally protesting and permitted the resumption of flights. Security checks, clean-ups and recertification once the illegal occupation ended delayed the airport from being fully functional until 5 December 2008.[30]
In 2009, the Irish Government warned its citizens to be on guard while browsing in the airport's shops. "We have received reports that innocent shoppers have been the subject of allegations of suspected theft and threatened that their cases will not be heard for several months unless they plead guilty and pay substantial fines," the Irish government wrote in a travel advisory, which also advised shoppers to retain all receipts to "avoid great distress."
Britain and Denmark also posted online advisories about hard-to-detect demarcation lines between shops in Suvarnabhumi's sprawling duty-free zone and warned shoppers to be alert about carrying unpaid merchandise across the lines.[31]
Petty thieves and confidence men, the majority of them illegal taxi drivers or tour guides, are known to prey on tourists in the arrival hall. They belong to politically-well connected criminal groups: Kamnan Samruay, Boonruang Srisang, Sak Pakphanang, the Pattaya Mafia and Phuyai Daeng.[32] Evicting them has proved difficult as they allegedly are well connected (the head of the Pirap gang is supposedly related to an Airports of Thailand executive, while the Phuyai Daeng has ties to influential civil servants in Samut Prakan).[33]
On 1 October 2010, two hundred armed men occupied the airport's parking area for an hour, blocking the building's entrances and seizing ticket booths to collect fares from motorists.[34] Airport security personnel failed to respond, reportedly because an internal dispute within the Parking Management Co., the firm contracted to run the parking facilities.[35]
Costing an estimated ฿155 billion (US$3.8 billion), the airport has two parallel runways (60 m wide, 4,000 m and 3,700 m long) and two parallel taxiways to accommodate simultaneous departures and arrivals.[36] It has a total of 120 parking bays (51 with contact gates and 69 remote gates), with five of these capable of accommodating the Airbus A380. The main passenger terminal building, with a capacity of handling 76 flight operations per hour, co-locates the international and domestic terminals, though assigning them to different parts of the concourse. In the initial phase of construction, it will be capable of handling 45 million passengers and 3 million tonnes of cargo per year. Above the underground rail link station and in front of the passenger terminal building is a 600-room hotel operated by Accor Group under the Novotel brand. Between the airport hotel and the terminal building are the two 5-storey car parks with a combined capacity of 5,000 cars.
Long-term plans include five runways flanking two main terminals, two satellite buildings and a domestic terminal will have a combined capacity capable of handling more than 150 million passengers and 6.4 million tonnes of cargo a year were settled clearly on the drawing board. The second phase of airport expansion which involving the construction of a satellite building south of the main terminal and a domestic terminal is expected to begin construction early 2012.
The airport's passenger terminal is the world's largest passenger terminal ever constructed in one phase at 563,000 square metres (6,060,000 sq ft), and is also currently the fourth biggest passenger terminal building in the world, after the Hong Kong International Airport (570,000 square metres / 6,100,000 square feet), Beijing Capital International Airport (986,000 square metres / 10,610,000 square feet), with the largest passenger terminal being at Dubai International Airport (Terminal 3 is over 1,500,000 square metres / 16,000,000 square feet). The airport's air-traffic control tower is still remaining as the tallest in the world's history at 132.2 metres (434 ft).
Suvarnabhumi Airport has 51 air bridges and 69 non air bridges. Additionally, flights are also able to park at remote locations on the ramp, from where airport buses transport passengers to and from the terminal.Suvarnabhumi Airport has 5 air bridges and 3 non air bridges for Airbus 380–800
On 15 December 2011 Airports of Thailand (AOT) announced to speed up the second phase expansion of Suvarnabhumi Airport to 2016, one year ahead of its scheduled completion in 2017. An investment of 62.5 billion baht ($1.95 billion USD/€1.49 billion EURO) is being planned for the second phase, according to Transport Minister Sukampol Suwannathat. The plan is to strengthen Suvarnabhumi Airport’s position as a regional aviation hub. Phase 2 would raise the airport's capacity to 65 million passengers a year and should also be undertaken in parallel with the construction of the new domestic terminal.[37] Earlier transport Minister ACM Sukampol Suwannathat gave the green light to Airports of Thailand (AoT)'s plan to carry out the expansion of Suvarnabhumi airport with the construction of a new domestic terminal. The new domestic terminal will be capable of handling 20 million passengers a year. Estimated cost is 9.2 billion Baht. The two expansion projects are part of the overall airport enlargement that would see Suvarnabhumi raise its annual passenger handling capacity to 103 million passengers, 73 million international and 30 million domestic passengers by 2024 at an estimated cost of 163 billion baht. The expansion includes the construction of one additional runway from two at the present, subsequent enlargement of domestic and international terminals and improvements to parking bays, car parks and other airport infrastructure.[38][39]
An expansion plan to increase the passenger capacity of the airport to 60 million by building an additional satellite passenger terminal linked to the current main terminal via an underground automated people mover (APM) system is set to be voted on by the AOT board during a 17 May 2012 meeting. If the plan gains endorsement by the board it will be able to proceed to appointing a project management consultant (PMC) which will bring it one step closer to commencing construction on the much needed expansion. If all goes to plan the expansion is set to be completed in 2018. The expansion also includes a plan to expand the airport parking garage as well as the expansion of the eastern end of the main passenger terminal by 135 meters along with the construction of a new airline office building. The expansion does not include plans to construct a third runway, however. According the Bangkok Post, the new satellite terminal will have a total of 28 gates, with 8 of them being able to service the A380 superjumbo jet.[40]
| Airlines |
Destinations |
| Aeroflot |
Moscow-Sheremetyevo |
| Aerosvit Airlines |
Kiev-Boryspil |
| Air Astana |
Almaty |
| Air China |
Beijing-Capital |
| Air France |
Paris-Charles de Gaulle |
| Air India |
Delhi, Mumbai |
| Air Koryo |
Pyongyang |
| Air Macau |
Macau |
| Air Madagascar |
Antananarivo, Guangzhou |
| AirAsia |
Kuala Lumpur |
| All Nippon Airways |
Tokyo-Haneda, Tokyo-Narita |
| All Nippon Airways operated by Air Japan |
Tokyo-Narita |
| Asiana Airlines |
Seoul-Incheon |
| Austrian Airlines |
Vienna |
| Bangkok Airways |
Bangalore, Chiang Mai, Dhaka, Koh Samui, Lampang, Luang Prabang, Malé, Mumbai, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Siem Reap, Sukhothai, Trat, Yangon |
| Biman Bangladesh Airlines |
Chittagong, Dhaka |
| British Airways |
London-Heathrow |
| Business Air |
Seoul-Incheon, Xi'an |
| Cathay Pacific |
Colombo, Delhi, Hong Kong, Karachi, Mumbai, Singapore |
| Cebu Pacific |
Clark, Manila |
| China Airlines |
Amsterdam, Kaohsiung, Taipei-Taoyuan |
| China Eastern Airlines |
Jinghong/Xishuangbanna, Kunming, Shanghai-Pudong |
| China Southern Airlines |
Guangzhou, Shantou, Zhengzhou |
| Delta Air Lines |
Tokyo-Narita |
| Druk Air |
Bagdogra, Dhaka, Guwahati, Paro |
| Eastar Jet |
Seoul-Incheon |
| EgyptAir |
Cairo, Kuala Lumpur |
| El Al |
Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion |
| Emirates |
Christchurch, Dubai, Hong Kong, Sydney |
| Ethiopian Airlines |
Addis Ababa, Guangzhou, Hong Kong |
| Etihad Airways |
Abu Dhabi |
| EVA Air |
Amsterdam, London-Heathrow, Taipei-Taoyuan, Vienna |
| Finnair |
Helsinki |
| Garuda Indonesia |
Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta |
| Gulf Air |
Bahrain |
| Hainan Airlines |
Beijing-Capital [begins 13 July 2012][41], Dalian [begins 9 July 2012], Haikou, Hangzhou, Heifei [begins 9 July 2012], Nanning |
| Hong Kong Airlines |
Hong Kong |
| IndiGo |
Delhi, Mumbai |
| Indonesia AirAsia |
Denpasar/Bali, Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta, Medan, Surabaya |
| Japan Airlines |
Osaka-Kansai, Tokyo-Haneda, Tokyo-Narita |
| Jeju Air |
Busan, Seoul-Incheon |
| Jet Airways |
Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai |
| Jetstar Airways |
Melbourne |
| Jetstar Asia Airways |
Singapore |
| Jin Air |
Seoul-Incheon |
| Kenya Airways |
Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta |
| KLM |
Amsterdam |
| Korean Air |
Busan, Cheongju, Daegu, Seoul-Incheon |
| Kuwait Airways |
Kuwait, Manila |
| Lao Airlines |
Luang Prabang, Pakse, Savannakhet, Vientiane |
| Lufthansa |
Frankfurt, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur |
| Mahan Air |
Mashhad, Tehran-Imam Khomeini |
| Malaysia Airlines |
Kuala Lumpur |
| Myanmar Airways International |
Singapore, Yangon |
| Nepal Airlines |
Kathmandu |
| Oman Air |
Muscat |
| Orient Thai Airlines |
Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hat Yai, Hong Kong, Phuket, Seoul-Incheon |
| Pakistan International Airlines |
Hong Kong, Islamabad |
| Philippine Airlines |
Delhi, Manila |
| Qantas |
Sydney |
| Qatar Airways |
Doha, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City |
| Royal Brunei Airlines |
Bandar Seri Begawan |
| Royal Jordanian |
Amman-Queen Alia, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur |
| S7 Airlines |
Seasonal: Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk |
| SAS Scandinavian Airlines |
Copenhagen |
| Scoot |
Singapore [begins 5 July 2012][42] |
| Shanghai Airlines |
Chongqing, Shanghai-Pudong |
| Singapore Airlines |
Singapore |
| South East Asian Airlines |
Clark |
| SriLankan Airlines |
Beijing-Capital, Colombo, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai-Pudong |
| Swiss International Air Lines |
Zürich |
| Thai AirAsia |
Chennai, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chongqing, Colombo, Denpasar/Bali, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hanoi, Hat Yai, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Kaohsiung, Krabi, Kuala Lumpur, Kolkata, Macau, Narathiwat, Penang, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Shenzhen, Nakhon Phanom, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Singapore, Surat Thani, Trang, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Yangon |
| Thai Airways International |
Auckland, Bangalore, Beijing-Capital, Busan, Brisbane, Brussels, Chengdu, Chennai, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Colombo, Copenhagen, Delhi, Denpasar/Bali, Dhaka, Dubai, Frankfurt, Fukuoka, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Hat Yai, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta, Johannesburg, Karachi, Kathmandu, Khon Kaen, Ko Samui, Kolkata, Krabi, Kuala Lumpur, Kunming, Lahore, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles,Macau [begins 7 July 2012], Madrid, Manila, Melbourne, Milan-Malpensa, Moscow-Domodedovo, Mumbai, Munich, Muscat, Nagoya-Centrair, Osaka-Kansai, Oslo-Gardermoen, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Penang, Perth, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Rome-Fiumicino, Sapporo-Chitose [begins 30 October 2012], Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai-Pudong, Singapore, Sydney, Surat Thani, Taipei-Taoyuan, Tokyo-Haneda, Tokyo-Narita, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Vientiane, Xiamen, Yangon, Zürich |
| Thai Regional Airlines |
Nakhonratchasima, Phetchabun, Surin |
| Thai Smile |
Chiang Mai [begins 1 August 2012], Krabi [begins 16 August], Macau [begins 1 July 2012], Surat Thani [begins 1 September 2012] |
| Tiger Airways |
Singapore |
| Transaero |
Moscow-Domodedovo, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, St Petersburg
Seasonal: Blagoveshchensk, Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg |
| Turkish Airlines |
Ho Chi Minh City, Istanbul-Atatürk |
| Turkmenistan Airlines |
Ashgabat |
| T'way Airlines |
Seoul-Incheon |
| United Airlines |
Tokyo-Narita |
| Uzbekistan Airways |
Tashkent |
| Vietnam Airlines |
Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City |
Cities with a direct international airlink to Suvarnabhumi Airport
| Airlines |
Destinations |
| Air France Cargo |
Paris-Charles de Gaulle |
| Air Hong Kong |
Hong Kong, Penang |
| ANA Cargo |
Naha, Osaka-Kansai, Singapore Taipei-Taoyuan, Tokyo-Narita |
| Aryan Cargo Express |
Hong Kong, Seoul-Incheon |
| Asiana Cargo |
Seoul-Incheon |
| Cardig Air |
Hong Kong, Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta, Singapore |
| Cargolux |
Baku, Luxembourg, Shanghai-Pudong, Xiamen |
| Cathay Pacific Cargo |
Hong Kong |
| China Airlines Cargo |
Abu Dhabi, Luxembourg, Taipei-Taoyuan |
| China Cargo Airlines |
Shanghai-Pudong |
| DHL |
|
| EVA Air Cargo |
Taipei-Taoyuan |
| FedEx Express |
Guangzhou |
| Jett8 Airlines Cargo |
Singapore |
| K-Mile Air |
Ho Chi Minh city, Singapore |
| Korean Air Cargo |
Seoul-Incheon, Singapore |
| Lufthansa Cargo |
Frankfurt, Mumbai, Sharjah |
| MASKargo |
Kuala Lumpur |
| Martinair Cargo |
Amsterdam, Singapore |
| Nippon Cargo Airlines |
Singapore, Tokyo-Narita |
| Saudi Arabian Airlines Cargo |
Guangzhou, Jeddah, Riyadh, Shanghai-Pudong |
| Singapore Airlines Cargo |
Chennai, Mumbai, Singapore, Tokyo-Narita |
| Thai Cargo |
Delhi, Frankfurt, Hyderabad, Taipei-Taoyuan, Tokyo-Narita |
| Tri-MG Intra Asia Airlines |
Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh |
| Turkish Airlines Cargo |
Delhi, Istanbul-Ataturk, Tashkent |
| ULS Airlines Cargo |
Istanbul-Ataturk |
| UPS Airlines |
Mumbai, Dubai, Cologne |
| Yanda Airlines |
Coimbatore, Delhi, Pune, Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai-Pudong, Tokyo-Narita |
| Yangtze River Express |
Shanghai-Pudong |
Traffic by calendar year
|
Passengers |
Change from previous year |
Movements |
Cargo
(tons) |
| 2008 |
38,603,490 |
- |
- |
1,173,084 |
| 2009 |
40,500,224 |
 04.9% |
- |
1,045,194 |
| 2010 |
42,784,967 |
05.6% |
- |
1,310,146 |
| 2011 |
47,910,744 |
012.0% |
299,566 |
- |
| Source: Airports Council International[44] |
Airport link Suvarnabhumi station located right below the main terminal building
Taxis stand is located outside the arrival hall on the same level
The 30-billion baht Suvarnabhumi Airport Link was opened on 23 August 2010,[45] after multiple delays. The Airport Rail Link (ARL) is operated by SRTET, a subsidiary company of the State Railway of Thailand. The standard gauge line is 28.6 kilometers long and is elevated for most its length, running mostly above existing regional railway lines and parallel to the No. 7 Motorway and Si Rat Expressway. There is a short at-grade/underground segment as the line approaches the passenger terminal building of Suvarnabhumi Airport. The ARL has two interchange stations, namely Phaya Thai (changing for BTS Green Line services) and Makkasan (linking Phetchaburi station of the MRT Blue Line). Two train services are operated: the non-stop Express Line trains run between Suvarnabhumi and Makkasan (at a maximum speed of 160 km/hour); the commuter City Line trains that run between Suvarnabhumi and Phaya Thai, calling at all stations.[46] At the end of 2010, Makkasan station will also serve as the City Airport Terminal with parking and baggage check-in facilities offered to passengers using the Express Line. In the future, the ARL will complement the SRT Red Line commuter service, which comprises two meter gauge, dual-track lines. The ARL may also be extended from Phaya Thai to Don Mueang via Bang Sue, if the old Don Mueang International Airport is reopened for civil aviation under a dual-aiprort policy.
The Airport Rail Link operates daily from 6 am to 12 midnight. A single-trip journey costs between 15 and 45 Baht or 150 Baht on the City Line and Express Line service, respectively. Journeys on an Express Line train (non-stop to Makksan) and the City Line train (six stops to Phaya Thai) takes 15 and 27 minutes, respectively. Suvarnabhumi station is located right under the main terminal building (B1 Level, two floors below the Arrival Hall). As the connection walkway linking Makkasan and Phetchaburi MRT stations is currently under construction, passengers changing to other mass transit lines are advised to take a City Line train to Phaya Thai and change to the BTS Skytrain from there.
Baggage check-in facilities for passengers travelling on flights operated by Thai Airways International and Bangkok Airways are offered at Makkasan station (the city air terminal) from 8 am to 9 pm, daily. Passengers must check in their baggage at least 3 hours prior to the flight departure, or up to 12 hours in advance, and are required to purchase an Express Line ticket to Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Meanwhile, SRT provides a suburban commuter train service between Hua Takhe (the nearest station to Suvarnabhumi on the East line) and the northern suburban city of Rangsit via downtown Bangkok and the old Don Mueang Airport. The train also connects with BTS and MRT at Phaya Thai and Phetchaburi stations respectively. Passengers pay a flat fare of Bt30. A shuttle bus service linking the airport with Hua Takhe railway station is provided by BMTA for Bt15. The train service is currently not as popular as the bus service because it requires a shuttle bus connection. The service will be stopped when the Airport Express Link is completed.
The airport express bus stopped running as of June 2011.
12 air-conditioned city bus routes are operated by Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) serve the airport's dedicated bus terminal. City buses offer a cheaper alternative of Bt35 flat fare, compared with the airport express bus. However, passengers must take a shuttle bus to the public transportation center's bus terminal before they can board the regular city buses. The 12 routes available are as follows:
| Service |
Destination |
Notes |
| City Bus |
| 549 Suvarnabhumi |
Minburi-Bangkapi |
via Seri Thai Rd. |
| 550 Suvarnabhumi |
Lat Phrao MRT Station Ratchada-Lat Phrao Intersection |
| 551 Suvarnabhumi |
Victory Monument |
via Rama IX Rd. |
| 552 Suvarnabhumi |
Hua Lumphong (Bangkok Central Railway Station) |
via On Nut BTS station |
| 552A Suvarnabhumi |
Samut Prakarn |
(Phraeksa BMTA Depot) |
| 553 Suvarnabhumi |
Samut Prakarn |
(Crocodile Farm BMTA Depot) |
| 554 Suvarnabhumi |
Rangsit via Don Mueang and Ram Indra Rd. |
by expressway |
| 555 Suvarnabhumi |
Rangsit via Don Mueang and Central Plaza Lad Phrao |
by expressway |
| 556 Suvarnabhumi |
Southern Bus Terminal via Ratchadamnoen Klang Rd. and Democracy Monument |
by expressway |
| 557 Suvarnabhumi |
Wongwian Yai |
Out of Service |
| 558 Suvarnabhumi |
Thonburi Housing Community – Central Plaza Rama II |
| 559 Suvarnabhumi |
Future Park Rangsit via Dream World |
by expressway |
| Service |
Destination |
Notes |
| Long-distance services |
| Transport Company Bus |
Pattaya |
| Transport Company Bus |
Nong Khai |
Counter of the AOT Limousine Service
The airport has 5 main access routes. Among these the most convenient route is via the Bangkok Chon Buri Motorway (Highway No. 7). Another main airport entrance is in Samut Prakan province via the expressway from Bang Na to Bang Pakong.
The airport has provided 5 convenient entrance routes. The main route is via the motorway in the north of Bangkok, directly connecting Bangkok's downtown and Chon Buri province, the industrial and harbor city in eastern Thailand. However, another main airport entrance is located in Samut Prakan province, connecting an elevated highway in the south of Bangkok which lies from Bang Na to Bang Pakong.
Additionally, flat-fare limousines are available at the Arrivals Level (2nd floor). Limousine services are provided by AOT and by a number of other licensed Limousine companies [2].
[edit] BUS (Bor Khor Sor)[47]
Bus Line 389 go to Pattaya Bus Line 9905 go to Jomtien Beach BUS Line 9906 – 1 go to U-Tapao International Airport get off at U-Tapao Station Bus Line 9907 go to Chanthaburi BUS Line 9909 go to Si Racha
Metered taxis are available on the ground level of the airport, one level down from the arrivals hall.
Since 1 February 2007 the 700 Baht departure tax is included in the price of flight tickets. Before that date, departing passengers had to pay the tax to officials or vending machines before they entered the immigration queues. The departure tax at Don Muang International Airport was 500 Baht per person.
- ^ a b 2011 Statistics
- ^ USA Today, "Bangkok's new airport opens to first commercial flights", 15 September 2006.
- ^ Instagram, "Top 15 Places to Take An Instagram Photo", December 2011.
- ^ "New airport to be ready on time" [1][dead link], Bangkok Post, 5 November 1968.
- ^ Handley, Paul M. (2006). The King Never Smiles. Yale University Press, ISBN 0-300-10682-3.
- ^ Richard Lloyd Parry, "Poo Ming – a blue ghost who haunts $4bn airport", The Times, 27 September 2006
- ^ ThaiDay, "THAI discounts tickets for historic test flights", 1 July 2006.
- ^ "PM Thaksin says Suvarnabhumi Airport ready in two months"[dead link], MCOT, 29 July 2006.
- ^ Pennapa Hongthong, Just listen to our noisy nightmare, The Nation, 28 September 2006
- ^ Petchanet Pratruangkrai, Suchat Sritama, Exporters pan new export fees, The Nation, 27 September 2006
- ^ Kurt Hofmann, LH Cargo set to be first into Suvarnabhumi, ATW, 28 September 2006
- ^ Suchat Sritma, Touch down...into chaos, 29 September 2006
- ^ e-Travel Blackboard, Baggage ruffles up some feathers, but Suvarnabhumi still a success, 29 September 2006
- ^ The Nation, Airport shippers hit by computer failure, 2 October 2006
- ^ Some flight services will likely return the Don Muang Airport[dead link], The Nation, 29 January 2007.
- ^ a b The Nation, Engineers unable to agree on root cause of airport cracks, 10 February 2007
- ^ The Nation, THAI baulks at moving to Don Muang, 15 February 2007
- ^ Thailand backtracks on plan for second international airport, Channel NewsAsia, 16 February 2007
- ^ A Rough Takeoff for Bangkok's New Airport, TIME, 25 January 2007
- ^ New airport's east runway to close for repairs, return to Don Muang mooted[dead link], Thai News Agency, MCOT, 27 January 2007.
- ^ "Bangkok airport officially unsafe"[dead link], CNN, 27 January 2007
- ^ Use Don Muang during repairs: 2 airlines, The Nation, 27 January 2007.
- ^ Move to use 2 airports gets mixed reception, The Nation, 31 January 2007.
- ^ Bangkok Post, B1bn needed to fix terminal problems over four to five years[dead link], 16 February 2007
- ^ University of Cincinnati, SUVARNABHUMI AIRPORT, September 2008
- ^ E-Architect, Suvarnabhumi Airport Bangkok, 15 August 2008
- ^ Bangkok Post, Suvarnabhumi safe, banks to help flood victims, 11 October 2011
- ^ Some airlines afraid to use new airport, The Nation, 26 January 2007.
- ^ Thai protesters shut down airport
- ^ Thai protesters agree to vacate the airport
- ^ MSNBC: Alleged scam targets tourists in Bangkok 7 August 2009
- ^ Bangkok Post: Crackdown fails to stop airport gangs 6 September 2009
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Bangkok Post: AoT orders firm to end dispute after car park seizure 2 October 2010
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Bangkok Post, New Bangkok Airport – Now Aiming For July 2006 Opening, 2005
- ^ 2nd phase development to be finished one year ahead
- ^ Bangkok Post, Minister supports airport expansion, 30 August 2011.
- ^ Full article
- ^ Bangkok Post, Suvarnabhumi expansion advances, 27 April 2012.
- ^ http://global.hnair.com/dynamic/cn/en/ADD2/bangkoken.html
- ^ http://www.centreforaviation.com/analysis/with-bangkok-scoot-breaks-mediumlong-haul-focus-thainok-could-be-next-to-establish-long-haul-lcc-72351
- ^ "News – Sunny Airways". Sunnyair.net. http://sunnyair.net/suw-news.html. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- ^ "Passenger Traffic 2010 FINAL". Airports Council International. 1 August 2012. http://www.airports.org/cda/aci_common/display/main/aci_content07_c.jsp?zn=aci&cp=1-5-54-55_666_2__. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ "Airport Link to start commercial operation Aug 23". Mcot.net. http://www.mcot.net/cfcustom/cache_page/81084.html. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- ^ "Work starts on link to Bangkok's new airport". David Briginshaw, International Railway Journal, April 2005.
- ^ "Suvarnabhumi Airport". Suvarnabhumi Airport. http://www.suvarnabhumiairport.com/to_from_public_bus_en.php. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
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