BANGKOK, 13 September 2013 Transport Minister Chatchart Sitthiphan has established a working committee to consider the construction of a backup runway at Suvarnabhumi airport, to accommodate emergency situations.
Thai Airways International Plc. president Sorajak Kasemsuvan on Thursday met with Transport Minister Chatchart and officials from related agencies to discuss the 3-day closure of Suvarnabhumi airport’s east runway, which came about after a Thai Airways aircraft skidded off the runway after landing and became lodged on the grass surface to the side of the runway, rendering the runway unusable. According to Mr. Sorajak, the transport minister has established a working committee to gather the details of the incident and quickly rule on the cause of the event.
The working committee was told to come up with short- and long-term measures to make improvements following the incident, and present them to the ministry within 2 weeks. It was also tasked with the deliberation of the building of a third runway at the airport that would provide service in times of emergencies.
According to Mr. Sorajak, Thai Airways will propose that a holding room be built within the airport to accommodate passengers in times of emergencies, as this would boost workflow during emergencies.
