Decision on airport fate coming soon

Source: Runway damage not as bad as feared

By Post reporters

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said the decision whether trouble-plagued Suvarnabhumi airport will be closed entirely during repairs will be made on Wednesday. Gen Surayud said he would prefer another option _ keeping the airport open and functioning while correcting the problems.

''In my view, we should not close the airport [completely]. We ought to look for options that allow us to fix the problems while keeping the airport functioning at the same time,'' he said yesterday.

The prime minister declined to go into detail, but suggested the relevant authorities should not give up searching for the most viable way out of the debacle.

He was informed by Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen that the Airports of Thailand (AoT) board will meet tomorrow to debate how best to handle the issue.

The meeting will determine if the airport will need to close completely for a specified period.

A thorough investigation is necessary to establish the extent of the damage, the prime minister said.

He said the extent of repairs needed is a technical issue requiring a precise answer that can only be provided by the relevant authorities investigating the problems.

The government is explaining the situation to the international community to shore up the airport's reputation, Gen Surayud said.

Meanwhile, a committee investigating runway and taxiway problems has found the structure of the runways and taxiways strong and up to standard, said a source close to the panel.

Cracks have caused damage to the surface only, said the source.

Initially, the panel concluded damage to runways and taxiways was caused by water in the sand layer and substandard materials used in the asphalt which weakened its strength.

Hasty construction of the airport and the engineers' ignorance of the airport site, which was once a swamp, might have also contributed to the damage, said the source.

The findings are based on an inspection of the taxiways and runways on Thursday and Friday by a committee chaired by Tortrakul Yomnak and the Highways Department.

The inspection was to test runway strength and to find out the cause of uneven surfaces on the taxiways.

The problems can be solved by draining water in the sand layer and paving the aprons with standard asphalt, said the source.

Underground water affects the taxiways, but not the runways which are 1.4 metres above sea level.

The taxiways are 0.75 metres above sea level.

The source said the committee is split over whether or not the entire airport should be shut down to facilitate repairs.

A source at the AoT said yesterday it is likely the government will opt for partial closure, as suggested by the committee's findings.

''It is likely that parts [of the runways and taxiways] will be closed. There is no need to shut down the entire facility. Since some flights will be transferred to Don Muang airport, repairs will be easier,'' said the source.

Don Muang, which is being renovated, is expected to open in a few weeks.

Mr Tortrakul said the committee would report the findings to AoT board chairman Saprang Kalayanamitr tomorrow.

He said a press conference will then be held tomorrow afternoon to release details of the investigation.

Bangkok Post
Sunday February 11, 2007