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Don Muang open again to give new airport repair time

Bangkok's old airport, Don Muang, reopened yesterday to help ease congestion at the city's troubled new international airport as its taxiways and main terminal undergo repairs.

Don Muang will handle about 140 flights daily, including some of national airline Thai Airways' domestic flights and all domestic routes for budget carriers Nok Air and One-Two-Go, said Kulya Pakakrong, acting president of Airports of Thailand, which runs both airports.

The US$3.8 billion Suvarnabhumi Airport, which opened last September, was intended to be Southeast Asia's leading air transportation hub. But it has been plagued by a host of widely publicized problems, including cracks in taxiways, a shortage of toilets, dozens of design flaws and a long list of corruption allegations.

Passengers had mixed feelings about using the 90-year-old Don Muang airport.

German tourist Inga Wenzel said she preferred it "because it's smaller than the new airport."

Others said they were inconvenienced by having to shuttle between the two airports for connecting flights, even though officials had insisted that Don Muang would only be used for non-connecting domestic flights.

Canadian David Dreisinger arrived from Canada at Suvarnabhumi, then took a 45-minute taxi ride to the old airport to catch a domestic flight.

"It was an extra bit of travel I didn't need after 20 hours on the airplane," he said.

The Thai government has not said how long the repairs at Suvarnabhumi could take, or whether the shift of some flights back to Don Muang is a temporary move.

Thai Airways will operate 30 daily domestic flights out of Don Muang, including some to Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani and Phisanulok.

Eleven Thai Airways routes to popular tourist spots such as Phuket and Krabi will be kept at Suvarnabhumi to make it easier for passengers connecting to international flights, the airline said in a statement.

Nok Air and One-Two-Go will transfer all of their flights back to the 90-year-old Don Muang, where airport fees are lower than Suvarnabhumi.

Nonetheless, foreign carriers have said they will stay put at Suvarnabhumi.
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