The first paying passengers arrived at Bangkok's new international airport yesterday, on test flights that the government hopes will ease concerns about its planned opening in two months.
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was among the 375 passengers on the first flight to land at Suvarnabhumi Airport, after a symbolic 15-minute journey from Bangkok's existing Don Muang airport.
He acknowledged worries among industry groups that the airport's systems may not be ready to handle normal commercial traffic by the Sept. 28 opening date, but insisted any remaining problems would be small.
"Minor problems should not be an obstacle to opening the new airport," he told reporters after arriving.
"A swift opening is key for Thailand to emerge as a regional aviation hub. We can't wait any longer," he said.
Six Thai airlines were due to fly 20 domestic flights in and out of the new airport yesterday, hoping to show that Suvarnabhumi is ready to challenge rivals Singapore and Malaysia to become the region's major hub.
"I'm quite satisfied with the test flight today," said Puttipong Trasarttong-osoth, senior vice president for operations at Bangkok Airways, Thailand's largest private carrier.
"But there still needs to be a little fine-tuning among airlines, airport operators and passengers, to make sure everything goes according to plan," he said.
Industry groups have expressed concerns the government has rushed to open the airport too quickly, saying that one day of test flights does not ensure computer and mechanical systems are working properly.
"What is important is to have Suvarnabhumi Airport begin commercial operations only when it is operationally ready," said Albert Tjoeng, spokesman for the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents 250 airlines.
"This means having undergone the required robust and comprehensive testing and trials to ensure that the various systems are working 100 percent and are seamlessly integrated," he said in a statement.
Suvarnabhumi, whose name means "golden land" in Thai, has already suffered years of delays due to construction problems and graft allegations. The delays have left the existing Don Muang airport overstretched, serving 38.5 million passengers a year -- more than two million beyond its capacity. The new airport will initially be able to handle 45 million passengers.
Pornthip Samerton, who runs the Destination Asia travel agency, said the government needed to do more to address the concerns of international airlines.
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