Here are some pics of the Don Muang Airport after renovation and expension...:)

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/1310DSC05780.JPG

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/1310DSC05781.JPG

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/1310DSC05782.JPG

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/1310DSC05783.JPG

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/1310DSC05786.JPG

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/1310DSC05787.JPG

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/1310DSC05788.JPG

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/1310DSC05789.JPG

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/1310DSC05790.JPG

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/1310DSC05791.JPG

Nice pictures :) Taking a trip to the airport looks fun enough

Chad,

May of local Thai people -> and some transit passengers -> complain that the design of the new terminal is VERY lame designed ... due to the corruption by Ch. Kanrchang PCL (on of the locla Twin Contractor Giants) ....

yeh, I guess..Khun Wisarut.

But for me, It looks okay though....pretty good in a way...:)

Nice pictures :) Taking a trip to the airport looks fun enough


Yeh, Believe it or not...I only took 7 pics from HK, compare to 10 of Don Muang...:D

Chad,

May of local Thai people -> and some transit passengers -> complain that the design of the new terminal is VERY lame designed ... due to the corruption by Ch. Kanrchang PCL (on of the locla Twin Contractor Giants) ....

Its looks ok for me because I don't know what it looked like before.
Although I would have raised the roof higher... it seems too low

For me,The expansion part came out nice enough for 1-2 year before they move to the new one. It looks brighter and wider than the old part. NICE :)

i also think that it looks pretty good. After all it was for temporary before we get a new great one. :)

so you just came back from HK huh. no wonder we haven't seen you posted for a few days.:)

Yea I agree that the expanded pier and portion of the terminal at Don Muang looks nicer than the older sections. Its bright and quite comfortable. Theyve also got 2 levels on the aerobridge (for the A380?), so its good planning on their part.

Suvarnabhumi will put all of this to shame though.

I gotta agree with most of you, it looks a tiny bit nicer than before but nothing special compared to most major airports in the world. Since Don Muang doesn't have a long time left I guess the money would have been better spent improving the regional airports.

I think BIA as it is now lacks 'personality' and looks just plain boring, while flying is meant to be fun and exciting. ;)

Here are some facts, Donmuang is ranking no. 19 the world busiest Airport and Asia's 2nd......;)


Passenger Traffic 2003 Preliminary (in millions)

ACI Traffic Data: World airports ranking by total passengers - 2003
Airports participating in the ACI monthly traffic statistics collection.
Total Passengers: Arriving + departing passengers + direct transit passengers counted once.

Last update: MAY 2004

1. Atlanta 79
2. Chicago 69
3. London Heathrow 63
4. Tokyo Haneda 63
5. Los Angeles 55
6. Dallas / Ft. Worth 53
7. Frankfurt 48
8. Paris Charles de Gaulle 48
9. Amsterdam 40
10. Denver 37

11. Phoenix 37
12. Las Vegas 36
13. Madrid 36
14. Houston 34
15. Minneapolis / St. Paul 33
16. Detroit 33
17. New York JFK 31
18. Bangkok 30
19. London Gatwick 30
20. Miami 30

21. Newark 30
22. San Francisco 29
23. Orlando 27
24. Hong Kong 27
25. Seattle / Tacoma 27
26. Tokyo Narita 26
27. Rome 26
28. Toronto 25
29. Sydney 25
30. Philadelphia 25

Thanks for the pics Chad. The airport certainly looks a bit more spacious than before...
I also wonder how come the Duty Free shops @Don Muang doesn't have many things in stock.. I mean like the newest electronic gadget, digital cameras, palmtops etc. I don't see many of that. Most shops there only sell perfumes and chocolate. :wallbash:

oh yes.. the new airport will be very very nice!!! :)

Better convert the International Terminal to function as Low Cost Airline terminal as well as the demostic terminal since the current domestic terminal look pretty small to me ...Thhey need mroe room to expand ... thus after thsoe major airlines gone to Suvannabhum, the odl internationl terminal should be converet to function as domestic terminal or lowcost terminal while the old domestic should be functioned as the terminal for those private sector who have money to burn to buy their own airplanes.

However thsoe major airlines said "They REFUSE to go to Suvannabhum if the low cost airlines are going to use Donmuang as their hubs! - The Low cost airline MUST go alogn with THEM!"

"They REFUSE to go to Suvannabhum if the low cost airlines are going to use Donmuang as their hubs! - The Low cost airline MUST go alogn with THEM!"


Why so?

I agree with them.They all should move to the new airport and only private jets use the old one.

Why so?? I think they want to make it easier for flight connections which makes sense.

I agree. All the airlines should go and use one airport, international flights/domestic flights/low cost flights should all be based in Suvarnabhumi. It makes more sense to have one airport. Only one Hub is needed. If you have two, its not a hub its a disaster.

i think because the cost at the new airport is higher than the current one.
and i didn't know that BIA traffic is now higher tha HK's.

Yeh, the landing fees at Suwannahbhum will be the highest in the region...and so not too easy with the low-cost airlines which normally got the acceptional deal to pay less with AOT.

oh even higher than Changi?

Changi is not so high, I bet now it's currently lower than Don Muang

Here are some facts, Donmuang is ranking no. 19 the world busiest Airport and Asia's 2nd......;)


Passenger Traffic 2003 Preliminary (in millions)

ACI Traffic Data: World airports ranking by total passengers - 2003
Airports participating in the ACI monthly traffic statistics collection.
Total Passengers: Arriving + departing passengers + direct transit passengers counted once.

Last update: MAY 2004

1. Atlanta 79
2. Chicago 69
3. London Heathrow 63
4. Tokyo Haneda 63
5. Los Angeles 55
6. Dallas / Ft. Worth 53
7. Frankfurt 48
8. Paris Charles de Gaulle 48
9. Amsterdam 40
10. Denver 37

11. Phoenix 37
12. Las Vegas 36
13. Madrid 36
14. Houston 34
15. Minneapolis / St. Paul 33
16. Detroit 33
17. New York JFK 31
18. Bangkok 30
19. London Gatwick 30
20. Miami 30

21. Newark 30
22. San Francisco 29
23. Orlando 27
24. Hong Kong 27
25. Seattle / Tacoma 27
26. Tokyo Narita 26
27. Rome 26
28. Toronto 25
29. Sydney 25
30. Philadelphia 25

Wow... Las Vegas gets a lot...
The last time I was there it didn't seem that active

When I was in Chang Gi, didnt see much active either.

AOT expects 16.6% revenue rise this year

Passenger numbers pegged at 43 million


Airports of Thailand Plc said yesterday that it expected higher passenger numbers to drive revenues up 16.6% to 14 billion baht for the financial year ending Sept 30.

A tourism boom and the launch of low-cost airlines would help increase traffic, said senior executive vice-president Supatra Meesawan.

``Our business is growing continually this year. Passenger traffic is increasing a lot after it was affected by Sars last year. Low-cost airlines are helping add to it,'' she said.

The company expects to carry 43 million passengers in this fiscal year, up from 36 million in the previous year.

In the first six months to March, AOT carried 22.5 million passengers, Ms Supatra said.

The company planned a dividend payout of about 25% of its 2004 net profit after setting aside legal reserves, she said. But second-half earnings could be constrained by foreign exchange movements because the company has a high level of yen-denominated debt, she added.

The company's debt burden is expected to rise in the second half as it takes on more loans from the Japan Bank for International Co-operation (JBIC). It pays an average of 2% interest on debt it owes to JBIC, its only lender.

State-owned Airports of Thailand made a net profit of 2.17 billion baht in its first six months to March, down from 2.83 billion in the same period a year earlier. It is expected to make a full-year net profit of five billion baht, according to 10 analysts polled by Reuters Estimates.

Net profit in fiscal 2003 was 3.8 billion baht. AOT was listed in March after the government sold 412 million shares, a 30% stake, to raise 17.3 billion baht in the country's biggest IPO this year.

AOT, which operates the capital's Don Muang International Airport and four other international airports around the country, is constructing Suvarnabhumi Airport in eastern Bangkok.

Ms Supatra said the Suvarnabhumi Airport was on schedule to open by the end of September 2005.

AOT shares closed yesterday at 53 baht, up one baht, in heavy trade worth 1.25 billion baht.



Source : Bangkok Post : June 30, 2004

wait......43 Million !!!!, Thats almost exceed the Suwannabhumi Capacity !!!!!..:eek: :eek:

Rise in passengers to boost AoT

staff writer

AIRPORTS of Thailand Plc (AoT), the operator of six airports, said the increasing number of passengers and low cost airlines will help increase its total revenue this year (October 2003-September 2004) by 16.6 percent.

AoT’s senior executive vice president Supatra Meesawan said the company will likely post a total revenue of 14 billion baht from operations this year, a 16.6 percent increase from 12 billion baht last year.

“We expect the revenue this year to stand at about 14 billion baht, mainly bolstered by low cost airlines and more passengers,” said Supatra.

She said that the airline and tourism industries were also fortunate that no fresh SARS outbreak has occurred, which damaged the industries in early 2003.

AoT currently manages six airports in the country, which are Bangkok International Airport, Chiang Mai Airport, Chiang Rai Airport, Phuket Airport, Hat Yai Airport and the new Suvarnabhumit Airport.

The company expects passengers this year to increase by 19 percent to 43 million from 36.3 million. In the first six months of the fiscal year 2004 (October 2003-March 2004), passengers rose to 22.5 million from 20.17 million in the same period last year.

AoT’s revenue in the first six months ending March 2004, rose by 5.1 percent to 6.94 billion baht from 6.6 billion baht. However, Supatra forecast that the revenue in the second half of the fiscal year will be less than the first half because the third quarter is usually an off-peak period for airline and tourism industries, while net profit may also be affected by the currency exchange rate.

AoT’s debt is in yen, the equivalent of 22.6 billion baht and the company will face a loss due to the currency exchange rate if the Thai baht becomes weaker. The baht slipped to 37.61 baht against 100 Japanese yen and has dropped 3.13 percent against the dollar since the beginning of the year.

AoT posted a net profit in the first half of the fiscal year of 2.17 billion baht, a fall from 2.83 billion baht in the same period last year.

Supatra said AoT will pay dividends of 25 percent of the company’s net profit this year.

About 40 percent of AoT’s revenue comes from airlines, 20 percent from passengers and the remaining 40 percent comes from other businesses such as space rental.

Bangkok International Airport, or Don Muang, was recently ranked ninth in the world for passenger volume between January and February 2004, acting president Bancha Pattanaporn cited in the Airports’ Council International (ACI)’s report.

The airport ranked the number one for the highest number of passengers in Southeast Asia, with 6.22 million arrivals, nearly 900,000 passengers more than those handled by Hong Kong’s Shek Lap Kwok Airport and 1.6 million more than Singapore’s Changi Airport.

Bancha said Don Muang attracts large numbers of arrivals not only because Thailand is a top tourist destination but is also due to the convenient location of the airport.

There are as many as 77 airlines which use Bangkok Airport, flying to 171 destinations around the world. The airport can support a maximum of 36.5 million passengers a year. About 1.3 million tonnes of cargo per year pass through and the airport can serve 50 flights per hour.

AoT expects the new Suvarnabhumi Airport, which is projected to start operations in late 2005, should serve about 45 million tourists and 76 flights per hour.


Source : Business Daily News : June 30, 2004

The airport ranked the number one for the highest number of passengers in Southeast Asia, with 6.22 million arrivals, nearly 900,000 passengers more than those handled by Hong Kong’s Shek Lap Kwok Airport and 1.6 million more than Singapore’s Changi Airport.

wow.....wow....wow....:drool:

Prospects bright for Airports Authority


Amornrat Mahitthirook

Don Muang airport will serve low-cost airlines and charter flights while regular flights and other connecting flights will be directed to the Suvarnabhumi airport which opens in September next year.

Acting president Bancha Pattanaporn of the Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) yesterday said low-cost airlines were raising the number of air passengers, serving 850,000 travellers from January to May this year, fetching the AoT 40-50 million baht.

The total number of passengers using the service should reach two million and raise AoT's income in this segment to 70 million baht in this fiscal year.

When the new airport starts service, the number should grow to three or four million annually in accordance with economic trends, competition among airlines and tourism promotion.

``We will continue to halve service charges for low-cost airlines. Besides, the passenger number on chartered flights will increase because they can land right at Don Muang. At present, part of chartered flights must be directed to U-tapao airport [in Chon Buri]. There are about 3,000 visiting chartered flights annually,'' he said.

AoT is looking for a financial consultant to study the possibility of swopping or hedging its 63-billion-yen debt in the next three to four months.

The debt resulted from AoT's investment in Suvarnabhumi and the study is aimed at protecting the company from the impact of fluctuating foreign exchange rates.

Low-cost airlines, chartered flights, tourism promotion, and the Suvarnabhumi airport presented bright prospects for the AoT.

Mr Bancha said that between October last year and May this year AoT's airports posted increases in the number of visiting flights by 14.01%, air passengers by 19.89% and air freight by 5.91%.

The number of passengers at Don Muang airport alone rose by 18.65%. AoT's income during the eight-month period stood at 9.2 billion baht. It expects income in fiscal 2004 to reach 13 billion baht, up from 12 billion baht in the last fiscal year. The expected higher income is based on the anticipated passenger number of 33-34 million this fiscal year.



Source : Bangkokpost : June 30, 2004

43 million passengers this year????
Theyre going to have to start expanding Suvarnabhumi as soon as they open it. haha
I just hope they have expansion plans for the next 20 years, not just that extra terminal and 2 satellite buildings.

43 million passengers this year????
Theyre going to have to start expanding Suvarnabhumi as soon as they open it. haha
I just hope they have expansion plans for the next 20 years, not just that extra terminal and 2 satellite buildings.

But the masterplan, inclded another 2 seperated terminal capacity will exceed 100 million lah.....:), That should hold more than another 20-30 years...:)

43 million passengers this year????
Theyre going to have to start expanding Suvarnabhumi as soon as they open it. haha
I just hope they have expansion plans for the next 20 years, not just that extra terminal and 2 satellite buildings.


If you read the article carefully, the 43 million passengers are for all of AoT's airports which are Bangkok International Airport, Chiang Mai Airport, Chiang Rai Airport, Phuket Airport and Hat Yai Airport. :)

That number isn't just for Don Mung alone ;)

When I was in Chang Gi, didnt see much active either.


Modern airports like Changi, KLIA and Chek Lap Kok are designed to look 'less crowded' than it is supposed to. Or perhaps you went to just a single terminal and didn't venture out? Or perhaps you we're there at a lesser crowded time?

Cos when I was there, I remember there was a lot of people but I do not feel crowded as the traffic flow is excellent. ;)

Here are some pics of the Don Muang Airport after renovation and expension...:)



When was the renovation / expansion? Looks kinda similar to when I was there back in November :?

yeah when I was at changi it was really quiet as well, and outside the terminal was only 2-3 people waiting for the taxi, very quiet indeed :) , but yeah it is a better airport than donmuang for sure but better than Bangkok's new airport?? NOWAY!! the new Bangkok airport will be the biggest, most modern best looking airport in SE ASIA :)

I don't understand why they have to renovate and expand donmuang when it will be replaced by the new airport??

http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=605291&WxsIERv=LQ==&WdsYXMg=LQ==&QtODMg=U3V2YW5hYmh1bWkgSW50&ERDLTkt=VGhhaWxhbmQ=&ktODMp=QXByaWwgMjQsIDIwMDQ=&BP=0&WNEb25u=SGFubmVzIE1leWVy&xsIERvdWdsY=&MgTUQtODMgKE=Rmlyc3QgZ2xpbXBzZSBvZiB0aGUgbmV3IEFpcnBvcnQgYmVpbmcgYnVpbGQgYWJvdXQgMjBubSBzb3V0aCBvZiBCYW5na29rLiBUaGUgbmV3IFN1dmFuYWJodW1pIEludCBBaXJwb3J0IHdpbGwgYmUgb3BlbmVkIGluIDIwMDUuIFBob3RvIHRha2VuIGVuIHJvdXRlIGZyb20gSk5CIHRvIEhLRyBmcm9tIEZMNDEwLiAoQ2Fub24gMzAwRCBSZWJlbCk=&YXMgTUQtODMgKERD=MTA3MDk=&NEb25uZWxs=MjAwNC0wNi0yNA==&ODJ9dvCE=&O89Dcjdg=&static=yes&size=L

check it out ...birdeye view of Bangkok's new aiport

If you read the article carefully, the 43 million passengers are for all of AoT's airports which are Bangkok International Airport, Chiang Mai Airport, Chiang Rai Airport, Phuket Airport and Hat Yai Airport. :)

That number isn't just for Don Mung alone ;)

OH, must be my mistaken.......anyway, Donmuang still comes wotld's 12th busieast airport and Asian 2nd after Tokyo lah...:)

Here's the list

Passenger movement

1 ATLANTA, GA (ATL) 19 503 723
2 CHICAGO, IL (ORD) 16 671 41
3 LONDON, GB (LHR) 15 125 259
4 TOKYO, JP (HND) 14 917 716
5 DALLAS/FT WORTH, TX (DFW) 13 926 517
6 LOS ANGELES, CA (LAX) 13 629 221
7 FRANKFURT, DE (FRA) 11 284 466
8 PARIS, FR (CDG) 11 172 691
9 DENVER, CO (DEN) 9 926 799
10 LAS VEGAS, NV (LAS) 9 686 404
11 PHOENIX, AZ (PHX) 9 493 924
12 BANGKOK, TH (BKK) 9 143 837
}
17 HONG KONG, CN (HKG) 8 155 000
}
22 BEIJING, CN (PEK) 7 384 664
23 TOKYO, JP (NRT) 7 266 189
}
25 SINGAPORE, SG (SIN) 7 054 760


:cool:

Source : http://www.airports.org/

http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=605291&WxsIERv=LQ==&WdsYXMg=LQ==&QtODMg=U3V2YW5hYmh1bWkgSW50&ERDLTkt=VGhhaWxhbmQ=&ktODMp=QXByaWwgMjQsIDIwMDQ=&BP=0&WNEb25u=SGFubmVzIE1leWVy&xsIERvdWdsY=&MgTUQtODMgKE=Rmlyc3QgZ2xpbXBzZSBvZiB0aGUgbmV3IEFpcnBvcnQgYmVpbmcgYnVpbGQgYWJvdXQgMjBubSBzb3V0aCBvZiBCYW5na29rLiBUaGUgbmV3IFN1dmFuYWJodW1pIEludCBBaXJwb3J0IHdpbGwgYmUgb3BlbmVkIGluIDIwMDUuIFBob3RvIHRha2VuIGVuIHJvdXRlIGZyb20gSk5CIHRvIEhLRyBmcm9tIEZMNDEwLiAoQ2Fub24gMzAwRCBSZWJlbCk=&YXMgTUQtODMgKERD=MTA3MDk=&NEb25uZWxs=MjAwNC0wNi0yNA==&ODJ9dvCE=&O89Dcjdg=&static=yes&size=L

check it out ...birdeye view of Bangkok's new aiport


Thats very amazing arial, Thanks again Rayman..:okay:

Better than before, it looks much more modern.

Fascinating agricultural landscape around the new airport. I really liked the old name, Nong Ngu Hao.

Don Muang is, as far as I know, the major gateway to SE Asia and in many cases to East Asia when travelling from Europe. So for that reason, the size of the city/country compared to teh closest neighbours and all the tourism in Thailand and Indochina it's sure very possible for it to be 2nd in Asia already.

Fascinating agricultural landscape around the new airport. I really liked the old name, Nong Ngu Hao.

Don Muang is, as far as I know, the major gateway to SE Asia and in many cases to East Asia when travelling from Europe. So for that reason, the size of the city/country compared to teh closest neighbours and all the tourism in Thailand and Indochina it's sure very possible for it to be 2nd in Asia already.


Yes, Paseenger movement still ahead of all S.E. Asian airports

more than 2 million ahead of Chang gi, while almost twice traffics compare to the new moddern KLIA.

I like the NONG NGO HAO name as well,Is sounds very orientals. Yeah Bangkok is the major destination for East Asia for Europeans. Every travelling shops and ads here in London have to have Bangkok details on their main ads. I heard Phuket Air is now flying London-Bkk return for only 299 pounds!!

I like the NONG NGO HAO name as well,Is sounds very orientals. Yeah Bangkok is the major destination for East Asia for Europeans. Every travelling shops and ads here in London have to have Bangkok details on their main ads. I heard Phuket Air is now flying London-Bkk return for only 299 pounds!!


Yeh, Phuket air now offer BKK-London flight...:)

I like the NONG NGO HAO name as well,Is sounds very orientals. Yeah Bangkok is the major destination for East Asia for Europeans. Every travelling shops and ads here in London have to have Bangkok details on their main ads. I heard Phuket Air is now flying London-Bkk return for only 299 pounds!!
Exactly, the best thing is that it sounds very oriental! So does the new name but probably not to most people.

299 pounds sounds great, how long can you stay on that ticket?

Exactly, the best thing is that it sounds very oriental! So does the new name but probably not to most people.

299 pounds sounds great, how long can you stay on that ticket?


I think that price is pretty much a final price which is not a promotion....:)

Exactly, the best thing is that it sounds very oriental! So does the new name but probably not to most people.

299 pounds sounds great, how long can you stay on that ticket?

Jo, yeah, U can catch Ryan air from Stockholm and then change in London, I think Phuket air fly to Gatwick airport which is very very far, half way to Brighton! That 's still make your ticket to Bangkok less than 400 pounds. The cheapest I checked for Bangkok for my chirstmas holiday this year is almost 450 pounds by Royal Jordanian , which I have to stay overnight in Amman , Jordan!

I think that price is pretty much a final price which is not a promotion....:)
Good, but many tickets are valid only a short period of time after making the first trip, like 30 days or so. That means you'd have to go back within that time or pay more money to extend the period. I have used six month tickets before so that's why I ask :)

Gatwick Airport...I think I'v heard of that name from "The Da Vinci Code" Novel....:D

Jo, yeah, U can catch Ryan air from Stockholm and then change in London, I think Phuket air fly to Gatwick airport which is very very far, half way to Brighton! That 's still make your ticket to Bangkok less than 400 pounds. The cheapest I checked for Bangkok for my chirstmas holiday this year is almost 450 pounds by Royal Jordanian , which I have to stay overnight in Amman , Jordan!
Sounds great, but when I think about it that's maybe a bit more than it'd cost to take some more direct flight from Stockholm Arlanda to Bkk (with a stop on the way somewhere). Still, getting an excuse to go to London is not bad ;)

errr....I am still waiting for an answer to when is the last time Don Muang was extended and renovated? :D

errr....I am still waiting for an answer to when is the last time Don Muang was extended and renovated? :D


Oh, since the begining of 2003 and finished sometime around April-June last year aswell.

It looks alot better now.
I was there in 97 and honestly, it looked quite ugly.
Tell me, did they renovate the exterior too?

The exterior looks the same.
The Interior was changed quite a bit. They expanded a lot of the gate holding rooms and redid the interiors of all of the piers.
They also added one more pier that is capable of handling A380s.
There is no need to renovate the exterior because the new airport is opening soon. The interior was renovated not because of cosmetic reasons but because the new layout will allow for more passengers to be handled.
The new pier was added for the simple reason of being able to handle more flights. I don't know exactly when it opened, but the first time I saw it was in February 2003. I saw the renovation of the other piers completed in mid 2003 also.

I will be landing in Don Muang today (Friday) afternoon and will try to take some photos. The arrival section is pretty plain looking but the departure section looks very nice. Either way, ill try to take some photos. Cant promise that they will be professional looking though because the camera I am taking is pretty crappy and im too excited about going home to worry about nice looking photos.

Dont forget to take some interior pics aswell, Hitesh....:okay:

Flights at Don Muang seen rising 10% this year

Satawasin Staporncharnchai


AOT points to hub, 'open skies' policies


Thailand's airport-management company estimates the number of flights departing and landing at Bangkok International Airport, Don Muang, will increase by 10 per cent this year due to the government's "open skies" policy and its promotion of Thailand as an aviation centre for the region, a company executive said Saturday.

Chaiwat Mahithiphark said the number of flights entering and leaving Don Muang airport increased 10 per cent for the first quarter year-on-year, especially in April, when 17-per-cent on-year growth was recorded.

Aviation in the first quarter of 2003 was affected by the Sars outbreak, which might account for some distortion in the April figures, he said.

"A conservative estimate then would put the average growth rate for 2004 at 10 per cent," said Chaiwat, who is deputy general manager of Bangkok International Airport at Don Muang for the recently privatised Airports of Thailand Plc.

"Airlines have increased flight time slots for the high season this year (October 1 to March 27) by 16.5 per cent for international flights while domestic slots have been increased by 18.9 per cent," Chaiwat said.

Flights from and to China account for most of the increases, he said.

"The open-skies policy is very useful to Thailand's aviation industry, particularly the agreements with countries |such as China, which have huge populations and many destinations," Chaiwat said.

There are 79 airlines operating in Thailand. Two more airlines each from India and Europe will start flights in and out of the country by the end of the year, he said.

Chaiwat said that shifting the national airport from Don Muang to Suvarnabhumi next year would definitely increase flight numbers.

"AOT will benefit greatly from |moving to Suvarnabhumi, but airlines will have to accept higher operating costs under government orders," he |said.

Don Muang might be used as a permanent base for low-cost airlines, though this has not been finalised, Chaiwat said.

If Don Muang is used as the budget airlines' base, all fees and charges there will be increased when Suvarnabhumi opens, he said.

The open-skies agreements between Thailand, mainland China and Taiwan are very useful for airline expansion in Thailand, said Thira Kiatmongkolkul, who is managing |director of Green Siam Air Services, the country representative for Taiwan-based airline Eva Air.

Eva Air's subsidiary carrier Uni Air launched a daily Kaohsiung-Bangkok flight on Saturday.

"It's the second Uni Air route between Taiwan and Thailand after operations started with the inaugural Taipei-Phuket flight three years ago," Thira said.

The airline must compete for travellers with Thai Airways International (THAI) and China Airlines on the Kaohsiung-Bangkok route, Thira said."The load factor on both airlines along the route is about 70 per cent, and with the upward trend of Thailand's aviation industry, we saw room to enter," he said.

Thira said 70 per cent of passengers on the Kaohsiung-Bangkok route were tour groups, and the passenger base for Bangkok-Kaohsiung were businessmen and labourers, as the city is a major industrial centre for Taiwan.

Uni Air ticket prices are slightly lower than THAI but equal to those of China Airlines.

The carrier has signed agreements with Eva Air to accommodate passengers in transit from the Kaohsiung-Bangkok route to Eva Air's flights to London, Vienna and Amsterdam, Thira said.

The launch of the Kaohsiung-Bangkok route is part of the company's plan to upgrade from local airline status into being a regional carrier, Uni Air chairman James Jeng said.

He said the airline operated international flights to Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Korea.


Source : THE NATION :Jul 6, 2004

wow, Great !!!......Pushing higher, eventhough we'r already a hub of the South East Asian Nations!!!!.

GREAT !! :okay:

Some sources in reply to that the existing airport will soon be retired for in using of Government Administrative centre by the next calendar year

Does it true and reliable not? as quite of doubtfully
How about the Bangna New City Zone to be built??

Some sources in reply to that the existing airport will soon be retired for in using of Government Administrative centre by the next calendar year

Does it true and reliable not? as quite of doubtfully
How about the Bangna New City Zone to be built??


It was just a un-succeeded plan, now what they will do with it is to turn it in to a low-cost airline airport...:)

How about the Bangna New City Zone to be built??

If u r talking about the New Aeropolis city aroud Suwannabhumi Airport, it's not really in Bangna area lah.

If u r talking about the New Aeropolis city aroud Suwannabhumi Airport, it's not really in Bangna area lah.

I am talking about the New Metropils Administrative centre as I recalled some paper to report

Or maybe the area for replacing of Bangkok???
Don't know have any idea yet :)

It was just a un-succeeded plan, now what they will do with it is to turn it in to a low-cost airline airport...:)

Actually I am admired for all efforts to be done for no-frills airlines industry in Thailand

A plently of selection to the entired market ~~~~~~~~Love it :)

Newly carrier to be started service on 20th July
Thanks to Nok Air krub

Landing fees up



AVIATION:Airports of Thailand will announce a decision to increase landing fees at Don Muang airport today after talks with the International Air Transport Association, Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said.

He said he was still sure Don Muang could compete with other regional airports after the increase, which takes effect on Oct 1.

He said Don Muang's fees would be lower than its competitors in Malaysia and Singapore if Thailand were to increase landing fees 20% as planned.

IATA has criticised the plan to increase charges, saying it could jeopardise Thailand's hopes of becoming a regional hub.

Source : Bangkokpost : Sep 24, 2004

20% service fee hike at Don Muang to go ahead in November


AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK

The Transport Ministry yesterday decided to stick to its plan to raise service fees at Don Muang airport by 20%, but gave airlines a one-month reprieve by opting to have the new rates come into effect in November.

Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit announced the decision yesterday after talks between officials of the Transport Ministry, Airports of Thailand Plc and the International Air Transport Association, which had strongly protested against the hike, citing regional competitiveness.

Mr Suriya said Thailand had decided to postpone the plan for a month from October to give more time for AoT to supply further details to IATA, which represents airlines and travel agencies.

Yesterday's meeting was organised for the Thai side to explain the need to raise fees, a plan which IATA claims could jeopardise Thailand's position as a regional hub for commercial aviation.

The minister admitted delaying the submission of complete information to the Montreal-based organisation, which includes figures compare costs at Don Muang and other airports in the region such as Singapore and Malaysia.

Bancha Pattanaporn, AoT's acting managing director, said AoT would lose about 45-50 million baht by postponing the fee increase for a month.

David Behrens, IATA's director of operations and infrastructure for the Asia-Pacific region, hoped that the increase would fairly benefit both Thailand and other parties involved.

Shares of Airports of Thailand closed yesterday on the Stock Exchange of Thailand at 49.25 baht, unchanged, in trade worth 116.6 million baht.

Source : Bankgkokpost : Sep 25, 2004

ดอนเมืองเป็นศูนย์โอท็อป > ล้มแผนเปิดศูนย์การค้า ยันต้องสำรองเผื่อสุวรรณภูมิแออัด

จุฬาฯ เผยผลศึกษาใช้งานสนามบินดอนเมือง เสนอล้มโครงการเอ็กซิบิชั่น โรงแรม และศูนย์การค้า เหตุต้องสำรองพื้นที่ใช้งานด้านการบินเป็นหลัก กรณีสุวรรณภูมิแออัดเกิน 45 ล้านคน ระบุให้เอกชนลงทุน เรียกคืนยาก ดันรัฐทำศูนย์โอท็อปเสียบแทน


แหล่งข่าวระดับสูงจากสถาบันทรัพย์สินทางปัญญาแห่งจุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย ในฐานะที่ปรึกษาการใช้ประโยชน์พื้นที่ท่าอากาศยานกรุงเทพ เปิดเผยกับ "ฐานเศรษฐกิจ"ว่าในขณะนี้ทางคณะที่ปรึกษาฯ ได้นำเสนอผลศึกษาเบื้องต้นถึงแผนการใช้งานสนามบินดอนเมือง หลังจากย้ายสนามบินแห่งใหม่ไปสุวรรณภูมิ ให้นายสมศักดิ์ เทพสุทิน รองนายกรัฐมนตรี ในฐานะผู้ดูแลโครงการเปลี่ยนแปลงการใช้พื้นที่ของสนามบินดอนเมืองและทีมผู้บริหารระดับสูงของบริษัทท่าอากาศยานไทย จำกัด( มหาชน ) เพื่อพิจารณาหาแนวทางที่เหมาะสมในการใช้พื้นที่ของสนามบินดอนเมือง


โดยคณะที่ปรึกษาฯได้เสนอแนวทางในการใช้พื้นที่ในส่วนต่างๆ ดังนี้ 1.พื้นที่บริเวณอาคารผู้โดยสารระหว่างประเทศ อาคาร1 ได้เสนอให้คงสภาพไว้สำหรับทำกิจกรรมด้านการบินเช่นเดิม เพราะภายหลังการย้ายสนามบินแล้ว ดอนเมืองจะยังมีกิจกรรมการบิน ที่ควรจะเปิดให้เป็นพื้นที่ขึ้นลงของเครื่องบินเช่าเหมาลำ เครื่องบินส่วนตัวขนาดเล็ก เครื่องบินส่วนราชการ ประกอบกับต้องใช้เป็นพื้นที่สำรองไว้สำหรับรองรับการจราจรทางอากาศในกรณีที่สนามบินสุวรรณภูมิเริ่มแออัด เพราะเชื่อว่าในอนาคตการขยายตัวจำนวนผู้โดยสารจะมากกว่า 45 ล้านคนต่อปี


2.พื้นที่ในบริเวณอาคารผู้โดยสารระหว่างประเทศ อาคาร 2 ได้เสนอให้คงพื้นที่ไว้สำหรับทำกิจกรรมด้านการบินเช่นกัน แต่ในช่วงระยะเวลาประมาณ 5ปีแรกภายหลังการย้ายสนามบิน พื้นที่ในส่วนของอาคาร 1ยังสามารถรองรับกิจกรรรมการบินได้อยู่ คณะที่ปรึกษาฯเสนอว่าควรใช้ประโยชน์อาคาร 2ในการทำกิจกรรมเชิงสังคมที่ไม่ใช่เชิงพาณิชย์ไปก่อน อาทิ การจัดตั้งสำนักงานโครงการทางสังคมหรือเปิดเป็นพิพิธภัณฑ์ เพราะเมื่อถึงเวลาจำเป็นที่ต้องเรียกพื้นที่คืนจะสามารถทำได้ง่ายกว่าการเปิดให้เอกชนเข้ามาดำเนินกิจกรรมในเชิงพาณิชย์


3.พื้นที่ตั้งแต่บริเวณอาคารผู้โดยสารภายในประเทศจนถึงอาคารคลังสินค้า( คาร์โก้ ) ที่เดิมทอท.มีแนวทางที่นำไปใช้ประโยชน์ ทั้งการเปิดให้ภาคเอกชนเข้ามาบริหารงานทำเป็นศูนย์แสดงสินค้า( เอ็กซิบิชั่น ) ห้างสรรพสินค้ารวมถึงโรงแรมนั้น คณะที่ปรึกษาฯเห็นว่าพื้นที่ในส่วนนี้ไม่ควรนำไปใช้ประโยชน์ตามแนวดิดดังกล่าว เนื่องจากจะก่อให้เกิดการแข่งขันกับภาคเอกชน ซึ่งเป็นสิ่งที่รัฐบาลไม่ควรกระทำ


ดังนั้นที่ปรึกษาฯจึงได้เสนอให้ทอท.นำพื้นที่ในส่วนนี้ไปใช้ประโยชน์ในการจัดตั้งเป็นศูนย์แสดงและจำหน่ายสินค้าหนึ่งตำบลหนึ่งผลิตภัณฑ์( โอทอป )ระดับประเทศอย่างถาวร โดยให้รัฐบาลเข้ามามีบทบาททำหน้าที่เป็นเจ้าภาพในการดำเนินการ ซึ่งพื้นที่ตรงนี้จะมีความเหมาะสมตรงที่จะได้ประโยชน์จากการติดรันเวย์ ซึ่งจะทำให้ในการขนส่งสินค้าออกสู่ต่างประเทศทำได้สะดวกขึ้น


แหล่งข่าวกล่าวต่อว่า จากแผนงานการใช้ประโยชน์ดอนเมือง ตามที่ทางคณะที่ปรึกษาได้นำเสนอนั้น จะทำให้ทอท.มีรายได้เข้ามาจากหลายส่วน เพียงพอต่อการรองรับค่าใช้จ่ายของดอนเมืองที่เฉลี่ยร่วม 1,000 ล้านบาทต่อปี ไม่ว่าจะเป็น การเก็บค่าบริการจากการใช้บริการของสายการบินเช่าเหมาลำ เครื่องบินเล็กต่างๆที่เข้ามาใช้สนามบินดอนเมือง รวมถึงการเรียกเก็บค่าธรรมเนียมการใช้สนามบินกับผู้โดยสาร และค่าเช่าพื้นที่ร้านค้า สำนักงาน และเคาเตอร์ให้บริการของธนาคารต่างๆภายในสนามบิน ซึ่งควรจะยังคงการให้บริการอยู่แต่ลดจำนวนลงจากปัจจุบัน


ด้านนายสมศักดิ์ เทพสุทิน รองนายกรัฐมนตรี เผยว่า ในขณะนี้ได้มอบหมายให้ทางสถาบันทรัพย์สินทางปัญญาฯ ไปศึกษาถึงเพิ่มเติมถึงความเป็นไปได้ ในการนำพื้นที่ภายในสนามบินดอนเมือง ทางฝั่งทิศตะวันตกเฉียงใต้หรือบริเวณอาคารคาร์โก้ ขนาด 300-500ไร่ มาสร้างเป็นสถานที่ราชการแทน โดยเฉพาะการก่อสร้างอาคารทำเนียบรัฐบาลหรืออาคารรัฐสภาแห่งใหม่ ซึ่งผลการศึกษาจะแล้วเสร็จในเดือนมกราคมปีหน้า


Source : Than Sretthakij : Nov 13, 2004

What the...!!! NBIA is not big enough?

Not big enough depite of high fuel cost ....

Not big enough depite of high fuel cost ....


despite the high fuel cost?, why so?...doesnt sounds to make sense..:?

Permier Thaksin will create artificial demands for Aviation travelling to fill up his coffers in Air Asia (Thailand).

Oh yes, and one importan reason is that the landing fees at NBIA will be a rip-off for those Buget/lowcost airlines aswell.

what does the article say? use don muang as a low cost terminal?
I remember Thaksin said that a while ago, and even though other ministers have made other proposals, Thaksin always gets what he wants, because he is like a stubburn child.

The article saids about the possibility of Don Muand Usability such as Shopping Complex, Government Complex and Aero Terminal.

i dont know what an aero terminal is but a shopping complex sounds pretty redundant to me.
i have no idea what they should do with it though.

My self think Shopping complex may be some Wholesales center like Makro or Hyper market like either Carrfour, Tesco of Big C would suits it the most., just my 2 cents.

Well, Tesco Lotus and Makro can become targets of terrorists hough ....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v442/kiku99/Around025.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v442/kiku99/Around165.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v442/kiku99/Around166.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v442/kiku99/Arounda026.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v442/kiku99/Arounda020.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v442/kiku99/Arounda019.jpg

I just back from HK 2 weeks ago, and I was really impressed by the quality of Duty free area in the terminal, The Luxury Promenade was abssolutely exotic..:okay:

High Season extra Schdules :

SO...Here are new Flights to Thailand list

TO CHIANGMAI :

-Air Mandalay ; Yangoon-Chiangmai = 31 flights
-Air Mandalay ; Yangoon-Chiangmai-Mandalay = 31 flights
-ARKIA ; Tel Aviv-Chiangmai = 12 flights

TO PHUKET :

-Air Finland ; Helsinki-Phuket = 46 flights
-Asiana airlines ; Inchon-Phuket = 10 flights
-ARKIA ; Tel Aviv-Phuket = 12 flighs
-Australian Airlines ; Sydney-Phuket = 6 flights
-Finnair ; Helsinki-Phuket = 98 flights !!!
-Lauda Air ; Vienna-Zurich-Phuket = 21 flights
-MYTRAVEL A/W ; Oslo-Phuket, Stokholm-Phuket, Godenburg-Phuket, Copenhegen-Phuket = 123 flights
-Trans Aero ; St. Peterberg-Phuket = 22 flights
-Trans Aero ; Moscow-Phuket = 32 flights
-Austrian Airlines ; Zurich-Phuket = 20 flights
-MALEV ; Budapez-Phuket = 10 flights

TO PATTAYA :

-Finnair ; Helsinki-Utapao(Pattaya) = 10 flights
-URAL ; Catherineburg-Utapao(Pattaya) = 10 flights
-Trans Aero ; Moscow-Utapao(Pattaya) = 3 flights/week
-Trans Aero ; Moscow-Hongkong-Utapao(Pattaya) = 3 flights/week

TO BANGKOK :

-Air Finland ; Helsinki-Bangkok = 23 flights
-Air Slovakia ; Bratislava-Dubai-Bangkok = 14 flights
-BELGUIMEXEL ; Brussel-Bangkok = 22 flights
-KRANSNOYARSK ; Moscow-Bangkok = 11 flights
-KRANSNOYARSK ; Yakruz-Bangkok-Novolinburg = 11 flights
-KRANSNOYARSK ; Novoburg-Bangkok-Catherineburg = 11 flights
-KRANSNOYARSK ; Catherineburg-Bangkok-Moscow =11 flights
-KRANSNOYARSK ; Moscow-Bangkok-Kransnoyarsk = 11 flights
-KRANSNOYARSK ; Novosiburg-Bangkok-Kransnoyarsk = 11 flights
-KRANSNOYARSK ; Kransnoyarsk-Bangkok-Moscow = 10 flights
-KRANSNOYARSK ; Kransnoyarsk-Bangkok-Novolinburg = 11 flights
-Nova Airlines ; Stockholm-Bangkok = 32 flights
-Trans Aero ; Catherineburg-Bangkok = 14 flights
-Travel Service ; Praha-Bangkok = 18 flights
-MALEV ; Budapes-Bangkok = 19 flights
-DOMODEDOVO ; Moscow-Bangkok = 4 flights/week
-Jalways ; Jeddha-Hongkong-Bangkok-Soul = 2 flights/week
-Saudi Air ; Riyard-Bangkok = 2 flights/week

^Oh....too cold in Europe.

I just back from HK 2 weeks ago, and I was really impressed by the quality of Duty free area in the terminal, The Luxury Promenade was abssolutely exotic..:okay:
totally agree with you Chad. so many brandname stores now and there are duty free almost everywhere in the terminal.
i think departure area looks much better now. but arrival area is still not that good. they should improve it a bit more.

totally agree with you Chad. so many brandname stores now and there are duty free almost everywhere in the terminal.
i think departure area looks much better now. but arrival area is still not that good. they should improve it a bit more.


Especially the Immegration area, so errr!!!

Especially the Immegration area, so errr!!!
Too bad, they could have done something better than that and that doesnt even take much money at all. More signs need to be added too!

I quite understood their situation since the immegration area always busy and extremely crowded, quite impossible to close it and renovate...:)

Arrival Area

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/kanabe99/Krungthep17.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/kanabe99/Krungthep18.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/kanabe99/Krungthep19.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/kanabe99/Krungthep20.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/kanabe99/Krungthep21.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/kanabe99/Krungthep22.jpg

Brings back memories :)
Hope to be there soon again.

http://www.satit28.webplanethost.com/images/ade16.jpg

sleeping don muang............

I've recently been inside our Don Muang airport again.
here are some pics.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/kbobp/ch3.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/kbobp/ch2.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/kbobp/ch1.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/kbobp/ch.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/kbobp/ch4.jpg

and Inside after immigration process

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/kbobp/ch7.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/kbobp/ch6.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a227/kbobp/ch5.jpg

I really like the Duty free area at Don Muang Airport, renovation and Upgrading works just totally exceeded many expectations of mine :)

um yeah.................
i like it too............
that Coach, Hermes, Dunhill area is nice too..........
but no money!!!!!!!!!!!...............