Flashermac Posted September 28, 2005 Report Share Posted September 28, 2005 The Nation September 28, 2005 SET FOR TAKE-OFF by Jeerawat Na Thalang Tomorrow the prime minister?s ?first technical flight? kick-starts the countdown to Suvarnabhumi Airport?s opening. Despite all the hiccups, even from a distance, its claim to be the most advanced aviation hub in Southeast Asia seems warranted. What was supposed to be an open-house viewing of the new airport ahead of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra?s inaugural flight tomorrow turned out to be a hugely disappointing - and very brief - circling of the terminal by bus. Still, we could clearly feel the grandeur of Suvarnabhumi Airport, which rivals any airport in the region, be it Hong Kong, Singapore or Malaysia. The new airport is one of the world?s most modern, with glass facade walls and a V-shaped concourse designed in the traditional Thai style. Its price tag is also staggering, by local standards, at Bt155 billion. A Thai Airways Internation-al (THAI) spokeswoman said the tour of the terminal that organisers had initially planned was abruptly modified to allow limited access only out of concern that an army of some 200 press and other visitors would leave indelible footprints all over the floor. ?We?re afraid that if we let you in, we won?t be able to clean the floor up on time,? was the explanation offered to disappointed reporters. It was an awkward moment that reflected the overall anxiety at the airport ahead of tomorrow?s ?first technical flight? by Thaksin and hundreds of honoured guests aboard an Airbus 340-600. Members of the press will board a separate flight from Don Muang to Suvarnabhumi Airport on a Boeing 747-400. Although the new airport won?t be commercially operational until next year, airport staff are still eager to ensure a perfect landing. Originally, the government planned to open the airport for commercial use from tomorrow to mark the fifth anniversary of the bestowing of its auspicious name, Suvarnabhumi (meaning ?golden land?) by His Majesty the King on September 29, 2000. But delays have forced the Thaksin government to scale down tomorrow?s ceremony from a grand opening to a simpler ceremony marking the first technical flight. In spite of a few hiccups, yesterday?s scaled-down open house at Suvarnabhumi Airport was still impressive. THAI yesterday gave the new runway a test-run, landing two aircraft. An Airbus 340-500 and a Boe-ing 747-400 smoothly touched down on the runway on the eastern side of the airport, where many the surrounding structures are still under construction. ?All of Suvarnabhumi Airport?s systems are now ready for the first technical flight,? said Srisook Chandrangsu, chairman of Airports of Thailand Plc, the state enterprise that oversees the airport. Deputy Transport Minister Gen Chaiyanan Charoensiri said the new airport is more than 90-per-cent complete and on track to open next year. Its state-of-the-art design gave the airport an edge over all other regional airports, Chaiyanan said. ?Luckily we were working on the new airport during a number of major incidents,? he said, referring to recent developments on the security and aviation fronts that are reflected in the airport?s construction. As an example, he pointed out that the government adjusted the airport?s design to incorporate tighter security requirements that emerged in the wake of the Sept 11 terror attacks. The advent of the Airbus 380 - the world?s largest passenger plane - also prompted the government to adjust the hanger design to accommodate three of the aircraft simultaneously. Suvarnabhumi, when completed, will be five times larger than the current Bangkok Airport, whose history can be traced back to 1913 when the first aircraft touched down on its runway. Airports of Thailand staff claim that Don Muang is the world?s oldest operational international airport. Suvarnabhumi will have an operating area of about 20,000 rai, or 3,300 hectares. The first phase will be able to receive 45 million passengers a year. Designed by German-born Helmut Jahn of Chicago-based Murphy Jahn Inc, the architecture firm whose resume includes the new headquarters of the European Union in Brussels, the exterior of Suvarnabhumi?s terminal reflects the Thai lifestyle. The concourse?s design resembles the V-shaped pattern of a traditional Thai house?s roof. Its design is a unique combination of metal truss, fabric and glass facades. The concourses have round roofs held up by five-pin trusses. The number nine - or multiples thereof - features prominently in the design?s measurements. For instance, each column at ground level is nine metres in width, while the legs of the five-pin trusses are 27 metres apart, and the construction required 108 coated fabrics. Jahn was not available for comment but it is widely believed that the use of the number nine is intended to symbolise the Ninth Reign of the Chakri Dynasty. Situated on an area that once housed many fish farms, Suvarnabhumi Airport is equipped with a modern drainage system that can absorb 3.2 million cubic metres of water, or five days? worth of heavy rain. The area was formerly known as ?Cobra Swamp?, and is one of the lowest areas in greater Bangkok. A look at the exterior of the concourse shows that construction is virtually complete. Parts of the northern concourse area, which connects to On Nut Road, are still under construction. But officials said construction of the one-kilometre underground route that will connect to the airport transit network is complete. Cranes - the mechanical kind - are still omnipresent, but there were no birds in sight. Apparently the jet fighters circling above on a twin mission to provide security and prevent bird-strikes were doing a successful job. 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Damen Posted September 29, 2005 Report Share Posted September 29, 2005 It looks like I'll still be landing at Don Muang come January ::. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALHOLK Posted September 29, 2005 Report Share Posted September 29, 2005 And most unfortunately also in February. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straycat Posted September 29, 2005 Report Share Posted September 29, 2005 All the info you can handle at: www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/sbia/index.shtml Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALHOLK Posted September 29, 2005 Report Share Posted September 29, 2005 Hi! Thanks for link. If politicians say that it will open no later than Oct. next year it must be so as we all know that they never promise to much. regards ALHOLK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayjann Posted September 30, 2005 Report Share Posted September 30, 2005 you Guys are very bad......... don't you believe what Politicians tell you?........... :: they must tell the truth because they have been elected by the local populas and therefore trustworthy...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkey39 Posted October 1, 2005 Report Share Posted October 1, 2005 sayjann said:you Guys are very bad......... don't you believe what Politicians tell you?........... :: they must tell the truth because they have been elected by the local populas and therefore trustworthy...... Yeah, same same in America! :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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