BANGKOK, Dec 19 – Don Mueang Airport is to reopen on Apr 1 after the flood crisis but whether airlines will resume services there depends on their company decisions.
Flying Officer Anirut Thanomkulbutra, Airports of Thailand (AoT) president, spoke Monday of the airport’s rehabilitation after it had been hit by flooding for almost two months.
Two airlines, Nok Air and Orient Thai, operated commercially at Don Mueang before the flood crisis. Both carriers are temporarily running their service from Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The president said the surface of both the eastern and the western runways have not been damaged and are still strong, as verified by the Department of Highways.
AoT will repair the infrastructure at the airport, at an estimated cost of Bt20 million for repairs and maintenance.
A new problem at Don Mueang is the great number of birds now living in the vicinity of the airport, causing a possible danger to aviation.
Fish, as the birds’ source of food, arrived with the floodwaters during the flood.
The Airports of Thailand are searching for technology, used internationally by other airports, to chase off birds, Flying Officer Anirut said. Such an obstacle once occurred at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
AoT on Monday held a Big Cleaning Day event at its headquarters in Don Mueang district after the area had been under water for about six weeks.
