Today’s probably one of the biggest days in years for Thailand and especially Bangkok when the brand new airport Suvarnabhumi was officially opened for all commercial flights. It has ended the long saga of alleged constant government corruption that lasted over 40 years and made Suvarnabhumi the longest and most expensive airport to build in the world.
The airport is located in the Province of Samutprakan, 15 kilometres east of Bangkok. It’s got the tallest control tower (about 130 metres tall) as well as the largest single building in the world. Suvarnabhumi also has two massive parallel runways and two large taxiways to handle both departures and arrivals at the same time. Apart from that, the airport also has a cool 120 parking bays, 5 of which are capable of accommodating the new Airbus Super Jumbo Jet A380. The five-storey car park can accommodate about 5,000 cars. In the first few years of operation it is expected to serve up to 45 million passengers on an annual basis.
The total cost of the construction was a whopping 1.7 billion Pounds, making it the world’s most expensive airport. It has now replaced Bangkok International Airport (Don Muang) as Thailand’s primary airport for all commercial domestic and international flights. It’s also expected to be used as a major hub for international flights across Southeast Asia making Thailand a true centre of the region ahead of arch rival Singapore. Well, that’s what Thai Rak Thai politicians liked to say to the media anyway.
I haven’t got a clue how they came up with such a name but as some of you may realise Suvarnabhumi is actually pronounced Su-Wan-Na-Poom in Thai so it’s highly likely that many taxi drivers will get confused when foreigners try to tell them where they want to go. To get round this issue, I’d suggest simply saying Bangkok Airport to the taxi driver rather than trying to pronounce the name whose pronunciation is far from easy.
Despite its ludicrous cost of construction, most Thais now look at the bright side and hope the investment will pay off handsomely to Thailand’s economy. So far it has already generated some employment for the local people and many prominent Thai economists have predicted that over the long run it will be hugely beneficial to the Thai economy. Analysts say the airport will give Thailand a real competitive edge over other Asian countries and attract more visitors to the country.
You can expect most Thais to be really proud of their brand new airport but there is one person that must have been less than happy about the opening of Suvarnabhumi. I’m talking about the recently ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinnawat. He would have wanted to showcase the airport to the world by himself and as a result reduced the ongoing resentment harboured against him by millions of Bangkokians.
Unfortunately though, such a chance was blown out of the window when last week’s coup ensured he would not be in Thailand for many months to come at least. So you can imagine how painful it must have been for the poor bugger to watch the opening ceremony on the BBC in his London house. Haven’t got much to say but serves him right !