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PussyLover 69
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Report from Bangkok Post dated 22 December 2005 :-
New airport opening likely to be postponed again
The opening of the new Suvarnabhumi Airport is unlikely to meet its second deadline of June, 2006, and probably will be postponed again, the official Thai News Agency reported today.
"It is likely that the official opening of the Suvarnabhumi Airport will be postponed from June 2006," conceded Transport Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal. "The government will later announce its official opening date to the public."
TNA quoted Mr Pongsak Raktapongpaisal as saying the government has not yet set a third date for the official opening. But construction work and overall system check-ups of the New Bangkok International Airport airport would not be completed before next May 31, he said.
"There will be many significant events in June next year, including state and nationwide events to celebrate the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King's ascension to the throne which need attention and good preparation," said the minister. "The government is therefore not yet able to set the exact date for commercial inauguration of the Suvarnabhumi Airport."
The government earlier had said the airport would open on Sept 29, and insisted on making a token flight to the airport on that day. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra next announced it would open in June, but officials have only recently begun to say that deadline, too, would have to be put back.
Mr Pongsak's statement today was the first official word that the government would also not be able to meet its second deadline.
A meeting of a government committee in charge of developing the new airport is scheduled for Dec 28, with Prime Minister Thaksin in the chair. A new opening date could be set then, the minister told journalists today.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 6:49 am on Dec. 22, 2005
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PussyLover 69
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Report from Bangkok Post dated Friday 17 March 2006:-
Business unit to run public transport at airport
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A business unit will be set up to manage public transportation at Suvarnabhumi airport while Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT) will run the airport limousine service itself amid fears of monopoly and mafia influence. Bancha Pattanaporn, acting AOT president, said the AOT board decided to create the business unit for monitoring and managing public transport at the airport, directing the public transport centre through a panel, and submitting reports about performance to the AOT without imposing charges on service providers except parking fees. The board also permitted the AOT to run the airport limousine service by using rented limousines and outsourcing the chauffeurs.
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 11:28 pm on Mar. 16, 2006
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erik
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any idea why AOT wants to manage it itself???
because they are the most corrupt of them all... read my lips, the MOST CORRUPT !!! and believe me, I know what I am talking about as I have been very close to the fire...
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 10:20 am on Mar. 17, 2006
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PussyLover 69
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Report from The Nation dated Saturday 8 April 2006 :-
New airport'will not be open in July' 2006 : Construction delays, cost increases blamed
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The contractor has admitted that Suvarnabhumi Airport cannot open in July, as caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced, due to delays in construction and cost increases. A source at the Transport Ministry said the new airport could not meet the July opening schedule because many construction jobs were delayed, which held up operational tests.
To speed up construction, parties responsible for the project intend to divert over 40 construction contracts to fast outsourcing, without open bidding contests. The practice could lead to favours of specifications for particular contractors, the source said.
''All parties know that the airport cannot open this July but no one dare speak out, fearing that it could deal a blow to Mr Thaksin, who made the announcement.
''If the opening was postponed until December, those 40 contracts would be subject to open bidding contests,'' the source said.
Many airlines had expressed concern over the delay and doubted the airport would open in July, the source added.
A source in ITO Joint Venture, the constructor of the airport, said it needed another three to four more months to finish work and officials responsible for the project were already aware of the situation.
A source at Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT) said that, apart from delayed construction, ITO Joint Venture was demanding an additional six billion baht from AOT for increasing construction work at the new Bangkok airport.
The joint venture led by Italian-Thai Development Plc said it had to do more work than specified in its original contract but AOT has not agreed to the additional sum. The dispute is also delaying completion of the airport.
According to the source, more construction work was assigned because the government wanted to increase the capacity of the new airport from 30 million passengers a year to 45 million.
Higher costs of raw materials also add to the dispute.
To settle the issue, AOT asked a committee of outsiders to examine the additional construction work and compared the cost claim with market prices.
The committee consists of representatives from the Engineering Institute of Thailand, the Association of Siamese Architects, the Council of Engineers, the Office of the Attorney-General, the Comptroller-General's Department and the ministries of transport and commerce.
Earlier the joint venture demanded an extra two billion baht, but the AOT approved only 600 million baht. The final additional cost should not reach the six-billion-baht claim, the source said.
The original cost of the new airport stood at 120 billion baht.
Suvarnabhumi Airport director Somchai Sawasdeepon said verification of the extra money claimed would delay the airport's opening but careful consideration was worth the time.
However, caretaker Transport Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal insisted yesterday that the airport could open in July and Don Muang airport would close at that time.
He said luggage conveyors and scanners next to the western runway have been tested, but the tests for those near the eastern runway had just started. The tests will be completed next month.
Signalling systems for aprons and taxi-ways have been tested and the airport hotel will open next month when the public will be welcomed to visit the new airport, he said.
The roofing of the concourse buildings will be replaced in June simultaneously with repairs to leaks in the roof of the airport information management system building.
Tests of aircraft refuelling systems will start next month
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 11:30 pm on April 7, 2006
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PussyLover 69
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Report from Bangkok Post dated Monday 10 April 2006 :-
Mystery over fate of Don Muang Airport
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Caretaker Transport Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal has relayed mixed messages over the future of Don Muang Airport after the scheduled opening of Suvarnabhumi Airport later this year.
Mr Pongsak yesterday indicated that all air-transport activities, except chartered flights, at Don Muang would be moved to Suvarnabhumi, east of the capital.
The statement contradicted his words on Saturday, when he said Don Muang would continue to cater for domestic and chartered flights, while the 125-billion-baht new airport would serve international flights and other air services.
He reportedly said that it was the government's policy to continue using both airports as it would create more advantages for the country.
In his statement, he turned down a formal call from Thai Airways International's management and union for the shutdown of Don Muang after the opening of Suvarnabhumi for commercial operation.
Mr Pongsak's confusing message is one of the key national policy matters which the Thaksin Shinawatra government has not got around to clearing up.
The Transport Ministry earlier suggested that Don Muang should be retained for serving point-to-point, chartered and special flights, as well as for low-cost carrier operations.
Suvarnabhumi Airport meanwhile should serve international services and domestic flights connecting with overseas flights, according to the ministry proposal.
The idea of keeping Don Muang in operation was aimed at lessening the load for Suvarnabhumi to avoid congestion, if its capacity of 45 million passengers per year overflowed.
The heavily congested Don Muang airport is currently operating beyond its capacity, handling about 38 million passengers a year.
Don Muang could reduce Suvarnabhumi's load by around 10 million passengers a year, thus delaying the need for expansion of Suvarnabhumi, which would cost more than 30 billion baht.
Several airlines and critics are unhappy with the double-airport policy as they say it is likely that carriers operating out of Suvarnabhumi will be subject to much higher airport-services fees than Don Muang.
"It would be like Suvarnabhumi subsidising Don Muang," an airline executive said, adding that the cost of operating two Bangkok airports at the same time would mean a substantial burden for airport authorities.
Airlines operating out of Don Muang would also have the advantage of being closer to Bangkok's city centre, an important factor for passengers when choosing an airline.
THAI union has implied that the Thaksin Administration twisted the government's single-airport policy to benefit Thai AirAsia, the low-cost carrier, which was partly owned by Shin Corp, the telecom giant previously controlled by Mr Thaksin's family. Shin Corp is now largely owned Temasek Holdings, the Singapore government's investment arm.
Senior executives of Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT), the operator of Thailand's six key airports including Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi, said yesterday there had been no official word about the role of Don Muang.
"What we could sense from the most recent statement by government leaders was that all the scheduled flights would be operating in and out Suvarnabhumi only, leaving non-scheduled services at Don Muang," an executive said.
Technically speaking, all the works AoT was involved in were still geared towards a single-airport policy, he said.
Mr Pongsak yesterday reiterated that the long-delayed Suvarnabhumi Airport would be ready for commercial service in July, but the date for the official opening would be set by the next government.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 3:14 am on April 11, 2006
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PussyLover 69
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Report from Bangkok Post dated Saturday 29 April 2006 :-
Suvarnabhumi Airport 'unlikely to open in July 2006' : Deputy minister finds 'very serious' flaws
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Suvarnabhumi airport is unlikely to open in July, as Transport Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal earlier said it would, due to time-consuming work and repairs that need to be carried out, according to his deputy Gen Chainant Charoensiri. Gen Chainant guided civil engineers from the Air Force and the Supreme Command at the new Bangkok airport yesterday and he said he could see ''very serious'' problems in the construction thanks to the surprise visit.
He found that 95 out of 102 sheets of roofing fabric on concourse buildings had to be corrected and only two of them had been finished. Of the 95 sheets, 14 must be replaced and the rest repaired.
Staff of ITO Joint Venture, the contractor, reported that the roofing would need at least six months to finish because the fabric would take about three weeks for replacement and a month for repairs, Gen Chainant said.
His delegation also found a number of cracks on the floors of concourse buildings. Water oozed up from them due to the leaking pipes of air-conditioning facilities.
Even after the airport construction is finished, it must still undergo integrated tests to ensure smooth operations.
At present, facilities can only be tested separately. Any immediate operation after only separate tests could lead to problems, he said.
Although airlines need to know the exact opening schedule of the airport, Gen Chainant declined to comment on that yesterday.
At present, all parties are aware that they must finish their work in July to keep their contracts but the government committee supervising the airport project will discuss real construction progress next Tuesday, he said.
Gen Chainant also declined to comment on a report that ITO is seeking the extension of its deadlines for the completion of the new airport by three months.
According to a source at the Transport Ministry, the consortium is seeking the extension to avoid a combined fine of 10 million baht a day in the event it cannot complete the passenger terminal and the concourse buildings at Suvarnabhumi airport in time.
ITO representative Jumpote Kanchanapanyakom said the joint venture would increase its workforce and equipment to finish the construction within June, which its deadline.
However, a source in ITO revealed that many parts of the construction had yet to be done and they were time-consuming.
Airlines are aware of the problem and have not yet entered the airport to establish their facilities. Normally airlines would enter a new airport three months before its opening, the source said
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 9:28 pm on April 28, 2006
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PussyLover 69
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Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 3 May 2006 :-
Suvarnabhumi Airport to open in August 2006 'at latest'
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The much-delayed Suvarnabhumi Airport will open in August at the latest, caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Chidchai Wannasathit said yesterday. ''The government will announce the exact opening date in June,'' he said, after inspecting the project in Samut Prakan's Bang Phli district and chairing the airport's development committee.
Doubts were cast on the planned July opening of the airport by transport officials, including caretaker Deputy Transport Minister Chainant Charoensiri, and airline representatives.
Pol Gen Chidchai said construction work was almost complete, as were systems tests.
''Construction has been over 99% completed and the delayed part is the outsourcing, for example, of security, cleaning and ground services. The government will have all construction work finished in May,'' he said.
Readiness reports of the new Bangkok airport will be submitted to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (Icao) on May 11.
Icao should reach its conclusion on airport readiness within two months and then the Aviation Department will issue an airport operation licence.
Although damaged roofing fabrics and terrazzo floors have yet to be repaired, Pol Gen Chidchai said the issues were trivial and what mattered was aviation safety.
Caretaker Transport Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal said the opening depended on the readiness of runways, aeronautical radio systems, conveyors and check-in systems, not on whether floors still had cracks.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 9:08 pm on May 2, 2006
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PussyLover 69
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Report from Bangkok Post dated Monday 15 May 2006 :-
Suvarnabhumi International Airport opening still up in the air
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The government will announce a new target date next month to open the new Suvarnabhumi International Airport Transport Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal says. The opening of the new airport was to have been last month, but there are questions whether it even can open this year.
The government would give all parties, including international airlines, at least one to two months to get ready for the move, said the minister. That indicates that the earliest possible date that SIA can open is sometime in August. But Mr Pongsak did not even say what day in June he expects to announce the opening date.
He put it this way: "The new airport cannot be opened for commercial purposes in June, but the government will clearly set its opening date in June."
Mr Pongsak conceded that construction and development of at least 46 projects inside the airport are behind schedule.
He said he had instructed authorities concerned at Airports of Thailand Plc to accelerate the projects, threatening to transfer them to inactive posts if they fail to supervise the projects to be complete in due time.
Once Suvarnabhumi Airport is commercially opened, the minister noted, Don Muang Airport would be used for official, private and chartered planes. That contradicted earlier announcements that budget airlines would continue to use the old airport.
"This is to ease the congestion of the Suvarnabhumi Airport in the future," Mr. Pongsak said, the first time a government minister has said that Suvarnabhumi might be congested.
The Suvarnabhumi Airport is targetted to serve around 45 million international passengers a year
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 3:12 am on May 16, 2006
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Will Smith
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Pussylover
Thanks for keeping us all up to date with the new airport opening.
How are you on trains? 
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 1:48 pm on May 16, 2006
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PussyLover 69
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Quote: from Will Smith on 2:40 am on May 17, 2006
Pussylover
Thanks for keeping us all up to date with the new airport opening.
How are you on trains?
Will Smith,
As requested :
Report from Bangkok Post dated Thursday 18 May 2006 :-
People demand rail projects
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The Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) yesterday released the results of a survey conducted in Bangkok that showed people want priority given to five of 10 railway projects planned for the capital.
The five routes Bangkokians want to see constructed first are the red line (Rangsit-Mahachai) ; the light red line (Taling Chan-Suvarnabhumi) ; the blue line (Bang Sue-Hua Lamphong-Bang Khae) ; the yellow line (Lat Phrao-Samrong) ; and the light green line (Prannok-Samut Prakan).
According to the survey, people want to see all 10 projects completed by 2012 and the ticket fares should be in the range of Bt10 to Bt30 per trip.
Maitree Srinarawat, director-general of the OTP, said to get people to participate in the planning of the proposed railway projects - part of the government's Bt1.7-trillion mega-project scheme - the office conducted a survey by distributing questionnaires, of which 20,000 were sent back.
Anat Arbhabhirama, adviser to the broad of directors of Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTS), operator of the Skytrain, said BTS has been undertaking a technical study along with Bangkok Metro Plc (BMCL), operator of Bangkok's subway, to settle on an identical ticketing system. This followed the government's policy to facilitate the convenience of public transport.
He said BTS is preparing to invest in a change of its ticketing system to the more modern one used by BMCL.
"The company expects to spend Bt110 million to Bt150 million to change its ticketing system," said Anat.
He said the new system would be in place by the end of this year. Anat said the Skytrain, now in its sixth operational year, was currently catering to 430,000 passengers a day during the week and 300,000 a day at the weekend.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 11:56 pm on May 18, 2006
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