BANGKOK, July 18 – Suvarnabhumi Airport’s 870 metre eastern runway was returned to service Wednesday, according to representatives of Airports of Thailand (AoT) and Aeronautical Radio of Thailand at a press conference held by the two organisations.
A 1.62km section of the runway has been closed for repairs since June 11.
Since opening today between 11am and 3pm, the eastern runway served over 20 flights. Almost all types of aircraft can take off from the runway, except the Airbus A380.
Flying Officer Anirut Thanomkulbutra, Airports of Thailand (AoT) president, believed the re-opening will help reduce and ultimately eliminate flight delays.
The AoT president assured the public that the runway repairs are expected to be completed July 31, ten days earlier than the originally scheduled Aug 9.
During the first week of eastern runway repairs at Suvarnabhumi, some 104 flights were delayed daily, with an average delay of 20-30 minutes for each flight.
Earlier this month, portions of the airport’s western runway subsided by about 5cm deep and 60cm wide and long due to heavy use. During temporary repairs, 11 flights were redirected to other airports including Don Mueang and U-Tapao.
