(BBC News) Bangkok's old airport back in use
Bangkok's old airport has reopened to help ease congestion at the
Thai capital's troubled new international airport as it undergoes
repairs.
Don Muang airport - decommissioned six months ago - is expected to
handle about 140 daily domestic flights.
Bangkok's $4bn (£2bn) Suvarnabhumi Airport was designed to showcase
Thailand as a regional hub.
However, it has been plagued with problems since it opened in
September, including cracks in the runways.
The acting president of Airports of Thailand, which runs both
facilities, said Don Muang would handle about 140 flights
daily.
Thai Airways will operate 30 daily domestic flights out of the old
airport, including some flights to the northern city of Chiang
Mai.
Eleven Thai Airways routes to popular tourist destinations 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 93-year-old Don Muang.
Series of problems
Suvarnabhumi Airport opened in September to huge publicity.
The Thai authorities hoped that Suvaranabhumi, which means Golden
Land, would rival the airports in Hong Kong and Singapore and
cement Thailand's reputation as a regional hub.
But since development started more than 40 years ago, the project
has been mired by a series of problems.
Politicians from Mr Thaksin's administration were accused of buying
up land in advance of construction, to sell on again at huge
profits, and the purchase of the airport's high-tech X-Ray scanners
was also tainted by allegations of corruption.
The project also suffered many delays and accidents, including a
fire that swept through a catering hall, killing a member of
staff.
Even supernatural forces seem to have been against Suvarnabhumi,
and dozens of people reported seeing ghosts during the construction
process.
In February, officials admitted that there were cracks in the
runways and taxiways, and said that while they were not a safety
threat, they needed repairing.
The old international airport at Don Muang is being reopened on a
temporary basis following approval by the Cabinet.
Correspondents say the move will complicate travel for many
international visitors, who travel to Bangkok and transfer to
different airlines for flights to Thailand's famed beach
resorts.
