Suvarnabhumi Airport unaffected by flooding

Posted by Sukhumwit Steve on November 4th, 2011 filed in transport

The principal international gateway to Thailand, Suvarnabhumi Airport, is operating as normal, in spite of the fact that floodwaters are threatening the very centre of Bangkok. The two are only 25kms apart, but drainage canals siphoning excess water off the capital’s Chao Phaya River are not close enough to Suvarnabhumi to affect its operations.

Suvarnabhumi Airport only opened five years ago and was built on Nong Ngu How, a low-lying area of marshland the name of which translates into English as Cobra Swamp. Airport officials invited media representatives to inspect the airport and the 3.5 metre high embankment surrounding it. Airport boss Somchai Sawasdeepon said the flood defence was continually monitored and if water on the outside of it reached 2.5 metres then staff would evacuate people and aircraft as quickly as they could.

Bangkok’s second airport, Don Muang, the former main airport has not fared so well as it is on the northern side of the city. Floodwaters swamped its runway on 25 October and Thai aviation authorities were forced to shut its operations down. Several decommissioned aircraft are currently parked on Don Muang’s tarmac with water covering their wheels. Unconfirmed airport sources say the aeroplanes have had their power units removed and could not be shifted away from the advancing deluges in time.