IATA urges single airport for Bangkok
The International Air Travel Association (IATA) has called on the government to continue expanding Suvarnabhumi Airport rather than renovating flooded Don Mueang Airport, which would be very costly, noting |that having dual airports does |not attract eith
Guenther Matschnigg, senior vice president for safety, operations and infrastructure at the IATA, told The Nation during its global media day in Switzerland last week that the government should carefully consider the cost before refurbishing Don Mueang. The association believes the money would be better spent on expanding and developing Suvarnabhumi Airport, which would provide return on investment, especially by encouraging new airlines into Thailand.
Concentrating on the main airport should also help Thailand develop its aviation sector.
“We are ready to help the Thai government with airport development if they ask for it.
“We have special experts on |airport development as well |as renovation,” he said.
“The inundation in Thailand was extreme, and it would be very difficult to rebuild such a heavily flooded airport.
The IATA once helped with a similar restoration case, an airport in Mexico, after a few days underwater, but that damage was not too much compared with Don Mueang Airport’s.”
Matschnigg said Bangkok should not operate two major airports, as it inconvenienced airlines and passengers because of the lack of a good transport system between the two.
He said some countries closed their old airport when a new one was built, and that drew in a lot more airlines and related businesses.
Tourists’ convenience is one of most important factors that the Thai government overlooks, and the IATA has been working on this for years, he said.
Des Vertannes, global head of cargo at the IATA, said the inundation in Thailand sent out shock waves similar to the tsunami in Japan early this year, affecting the global economy.
In the same way, the volcanic-ash cloud in Europe in 2010 caused unemployment as far afield as the United States and Kenya.
“The flooding in Thailand has shot down many businesses including car manufacturing, IT-parts companies and the tourism sector,” he said.
Brian Pearce, chief economist at the IATA, said the flood disaster had hit air travel in and out of Thailand as well as related business sectors such as supply chains and tourism.
Pearce said that even if Thailand was able to remain an attractive destination for tourists, it still needed to improve air-|travel facilities. One of the key strategies was to operate a single airport.
