Airport president quits

Two other senior executives sacked

AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK & WASSANA NANUAM

Chotisak Asapaviriya yesterday resigned as president of Airports of Thailand (AoT), while two executives of Suvarnabhumi airport were sacked from their positions over problems there.

Mr Chotisak cited poor health as the reason for his resignation.

Somchai Sawasdeepol and Sombat Khunprasert were dismissed from their posts as director of Suvarnabhumi airport and director of commercial operations respectively.

Mr Chotisak tendered his resignation to the AoT board, chaired by Council for National Security deputy secretary-general Gen Saprang Kalayanamitr, during its meeting yesterday.

AoT board member Chirmsak Pinthong said the board approved Mr Chotisak's resignation and appointed Kanlaya Phakakrong, vice-president in charge of planning and finance, as acting president. The resignation takes effect today.

A new president will be selected in two months, he said.

"[He cites] health reasons, stress from work, old age and says he wants medical care and rest.

"So the board has accepted his resignation," Mr Chirmsak said.

Mr Somchai was replaced as director of Suvarnabhumi airport by Serirat Prasutanont, deputy director for regional airports in charge of operations, said Mr Chirmsak.

Mr Somchai was also dismissed as deputy director for projects and replaced by Passakorn Suwankanit, who also maintains his job as deputy director of AoT.

His removal "is for the sake of suitability", Mr Chirmsak said of Mr Somchai's departure.

Mr Chirmsak said the board also asked the AoT to review a 10-year contract with the Loxley-ICTS consortium, which won a concession to manage security at the new international airport.

He said the board questioned the company's expertise in providing security and considered the 10-year contract too long. Such a contract is normally reviewed every three years, he said.

Gen Saprang said the contract was apparently made in favour of Loxley, which had so far failed to assure it could provide security.

"Security is the board's prime concern, but we will also ensure fairness for the contract partner," he said.

Mr Chirmsak said the board has asked King Power International Group to return the surplus area it is occupying and provide an alternative plan by Feb 12.

He said the company was found to be using 11,820 square metres as a duty-free area, when the contract allows for only 5,000 square metres.

The company is authorised to use 20,000 square metres as general commercial areas but was found to occupy 25,828 square metres, he said.

Meanwhile, the Engineering Council of Thailand (ECT) said damage to the airport's taxiways had been expanding over the past three months.

The ECT said the cracks covered 5.3% of the airport's taxiways, or about 97,000 square metres.

In its attempt to identify the causes of the cracks and look for solutions, the ECT has agreed to study four areas.

These are the characteristics and weight absorption capacity of the apron's surface, sand and its relation to water drainage, water levels and drainage underneath the surface, and the rate and pattern of land subsidence.

The ECT's Thiti Paveenchana said the structural damage to the taxiways poses a threat to aviation safety and requires emergency repairs.

The northern taxiway was the most damaged, accounting for 94% of the damaged area, he said.

He also said that the installation of devices to measure the water level and pressure is needed.

However, Mr Thiti called on the public not to jump to conclusions until a thorough examination was completed.

Suebsak Promboon, also of the ECT, said the airport had been "prematurely" opened without proper test runs.

A study into the problems and solutions should not be rushed, he added, saying at least six months would be needed for a thorough assessment.

A source in ITO Joint Venture, the airport's construction consortium, said the company had used materials as specified in the contract and followed the construction design.

Bangkok Post
Friday February 02, 2007