**Suvarnabhumi should be expanded **
Published: 17/11/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business
The airline industry is up in arms at a plan to have two international airports operating in Bangkok.
Both Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports will operate international flights under the proposition.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has written to Transport Minister Sohpon Zarum to underscore its position that Suvarnabhumi should remain the capital’s only international airport.
In his Nov 2 letter, IATA director-general Giovanni Bisignani asked Mr Sohpon to urgently intervene in the matter, which he said was a grave concern for carriers operating in Thailand.
Mr Bisignani urged the Thai government to reconsider a recent two-airport proposal, suggesting the expansion of Suvarnabhumi should proceed but Don Mueang should be used only for general aviation and non-scheduled traffic.
“IATA is of the firm opinion that a one-airport solution is in the best interest of the passengers, airlines and the overall economy of Thailand,” wrote the chief of the Geneva-based body that represents more than 230 airlines around the world.
Bangkok serves as the gateway to Thailand and is a critical transit hub for international and domestic travellers. Splitting airline operations between the two airports would inevitably inconvenience those travellers who would have to fly into one airport and out of the other.
In addition, the two-airport model would result in a duplication of investment - in airlines, airports and air navigator Aerothai resources - increasing costs for airlines and passengers, Mr Bisignani said.
“Both these factors will have a detrimental impact on the sustainability and viability of airline operations into Thailand,” he said.
Rather than diverting limited resources to Don Mueang, he suggested all efforts should be undertaken to optimise and expand the capacity of Suvarnabhumi, which is operating close to its annual capacity of 45 million passengers.
IATA supports an initiative to build a new domestic terminal at Suvarnabhumi to raise its capacity to 65 million passengers a year by 2013, he said.
In the interim, all stakeholders need to work together to enhance and ensure maximum utilisation of the current facilities, said Mr Bisignani.
The present slowdown in aviation traffic provides an added incentive and also a window of opportunity for this effort, he said.
The IATA chief underlined the importance of aviation as an integral part of the travel and tourism industry, which contributed US$38 billion to gross domestic product in 2008 and provided 4 million jobs in Thailand, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.
Meanwhile, IATA called on Thailand to look at ways to support the airline industry.
While airlines have seen a global improvement in traffic, they are projecting losses of $11 billion this year with revenue shrinking by $80 billion, or 15%, from 2008.
For 2010, IATA is forecasting industry losses of $3.8 billion.
Measures introduced by Airports of Thailand have provided some relief for airlines operating out of Bangkok, said IATA.
“But the industry is not out of the woods,” said IATA spokesman for Asia-Pacific Albert Tjoeng.
AoT should extend the landing-fee discounts into 2010, he said.
While Aerothai has yet to give any discounts, airlines continue to hope for a cut in charges from the air navigation service provider, he said.
*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *