New Bangkok airport delayed, say reports

Emily Pacey

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The main passenger terminal at Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi Airport will not open until April 2006, according to Thai press reports

The construction of Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi airport, to become the biggest terminal in the world upon completion, has been delayed according to local reports. The facility was scheduled to open on September 28 2005 but inauguration could now be delayed until April 2006. In a letter recently submitted to the New Bangkok International Airport (NBIA), developer Italian-Thai Development Plc said that it would be unable to complete construction in time due to problems with other contractors.

An NBIA official told Thai newspaper The Nation that "the problems Italian-Thai Development has are with contractors within the same consortium, the ITO Joint Venture."

Transport minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit has instructed officials to monitor the progress of airport construction. By the end of this month all contractors must report their progress to the ministry.

Figures published by the The Nation suggest that the passenger terminal is currently 79% complete. Once finished, the terminal will contain 100,000sq m (1.08m sq ft) of commercial space, built using natural, local materials such as wood and stone, and will employ an innovative street-style layout. King Power International Group (Thailand) and Airports of Thailand revealed the project to create an ambitious duty-free area at Suvarnabhumi earlier this year (DFNI November 1).

NBIA and Airports of Thailand chairman Srisook Chandrangsu said at the lavish unveiling of the plans in the TFWA World Exhibition this September that Suvarnabhumi would "redefine the idea of the airport" and that it was a "source of national pride".

More details will follow in DFNI December 15, out next week.