Suvarnabhumi Airport Map

Suvarnabhumi Airport : Flight Status

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Suvarnabhumi plan approved

The long-awaited expansion of Suvarnabhumi Airport has been set in motion now that Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) has agreed to proceed with the 78-billion-baht programme.


The majority state-owned and SET-listed airport operator's board last Friday endorsed the Phase 2 development and will soon seek final consent from the Transport Ministry and the cabinet.


The expansion, which was supposed to have begun shortly after the airport opened in September 2006, would increase the passenger handling capacity of Thailand's gateway airport by 33%, to 60 million in the next six years from 45 million currently.


Kulya Pakakrong, AoT's senior executive vice-president, said yesterday that the expansion would deal with the crowding problem at the airport which is now operating close to its capacity.


The expansion involves building a midfield terminal and a third runway.


AoT's decision comes at the time when the airline industry is facing a severe downturn with a marked slowdown in traffic and ballooning operating costs, all triggered by skyrocketing fuel prices.


But it responds to the airline industry's longstanding call for AoT to deal with the congestion that had inconvenienced airlines and passengers alike.


The industry has warned that Suvarnabhumi was losing out to rival airports in Southeast Asia, namely Singapore Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), as the region's preferred air hubs due to its restricted capacity and high service fees.


Mrs Kulya insisted that the possible excess capacity at the airport resulting from the expansion was not an issue as AoT was still seeing traffic growth through Suvarnabhumi.


''Suvarnabhumi's traffic is on course with projections for 6.5% annual growth in the near term, 5.5% in the medium term and 4% long-term,'' she said.


But according to AoT figures, passenger traffic through Suvarnabhumi grew just 1.94% year-on-year in the first half of this year to 21.21 million.


AoT aims to call a tender for the airport expansion work next year and hopes to be able to start construction by the end of 2009.


About 33 billion baht of the estimated project cost would come from loans from the Japan Bank for International Co-operation (JBIC), which was a major lender for the phase-one project that cost 155 billion baht.


Mrs Kulya said AoT had already contracted a consulting company to conduct an environmental impact study for the expansion project. It will hold public hearings to explain plans to mitigate noise pollution resulting from the increased air traffic.


AOT shares closed yesterday on the Stock Exchange of Thailand at 38.50 baht, unchanged, in trade worth 5.5 million baht.

Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Joins the Fight Against Global Warming

Environmental realities have forced hotel chains to focus on ecological best practices, and Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport in the Thai capital has joined Accor's green effort.

As industries shift practices with the evolving threat of global warming, hotels such as the Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport are striving to conserve resources and reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses, the company says.


Novotel began its association in 2007 with Green Globe, the international environmental certification program for responsible travel and tourism. In doing so, Novotel has become the leading hotel chain in the mid-scale segment to involve its entire network in sustainable development.


With nearly 400 rooms and extensive business facilities, it is crucial that green measures be taken to prevent wasteful practices that adversely affect the environment, Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport says.


Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel opened in September 2006 to coincide with the launch of Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand. In July it was named the 'Best Airport Hotel' at the TravelWeekly (Asia) Industry Awards 2008.


The Novotel Suvarnabhumi is a four-star hotel a 10-minute walk from Suvarnabhumi Airport.



Novotel has long been committed to promoting sustainable development through its active involvement in the Accor Group's Earth Guest program. The Earth Guest program is now embraced as an integral part of the hotel chain's brand.


Novotel seeks harmony with the environment through effective management of water, air, waste, and pollution. The France-based hotel chain's commitment is based on three main strands of activity: drawing up appropriate construction standards; involving its employees in sustainable development on a daily basis; and involving its customers.


Novotel Benoa Bali is the first Accor hotel in Asia to achieve Green Globe Certified, a Green Globe qualification that recognizes the hotel's commitment to successfully implement an integrated Environmental Management System.


By the year 2010 all Novotel hotels should are expected to have committed to the Green Globe environmental certification program, which currently involves 28 hotels in 12 countries on five continents including Thailand, India, China, and Singapore.


Novotel offers nearly 400 hotels and resorts located in the heart of major international cities, business districts and tourist destinations. In 2008, the Novotel network represented more than 66,000 rooms in 59 countries. By 2010 it will have an additional 20,000 rooms and be present in 70 countries.

Novotel Suvarnabhumi’s Hotel Business Thrives as Bangkok Tipped as ‘World’s Best City’

The Thai capital was recently listed for the first time as the “World’s Best City” by Travel & Leisure magazine, and Bangkok’s premiere airport hotel, Novotel Suvarnabhumi, is enjoying the benefits of a surge in visitors to the kingdom. Bangkok, Thailand (NetSweets) August 30, 2008 – Visitors continue to throng to the Thai capital for corporate meetings and good times and the award-winning Novotel Suvarnabhumi hotel is reaping the rewards, the company says.


The opening of the Suvarnnabhumi International Airport just three years ago was a sign of Thailand’s strong commitment to the tourism industry. Accor Group’s Novotel Suvarnabhumi was launched in September 2006 to cater to the millions of travelers traversing the new airport each year, and the hotel has been rewarded for its efforts.


Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport was awarded the prestigious "Best Airport Hotel” at the TravelWeekly (Asia) Industry Awards 2008 in July. The award recognizes the best in the Asian travel industry, acknowledging their contributions to tourism and hospitality.
The hotel couldn’t have had such success without the attractiveness of Thailand’s bustling capital to tourists from around the globe, however.


Bangkok was named last month by U.S.-based Travel & Leisure magazine as the “World’s Best City” following its 2008 World’s Best Awards readers’ survey. This further strengthens Bangkok’s image as a major tourist destination in the world.


Bangkok was named World’s Best City 2008 with a score of 87.61, ahead of Argentina’s Buenos Aires, last year’s runner up, and Cape Town, South Africa, which jumped from No. 10 in 2007.


“Bangkok deserves the top ranking in the world’s best city survey because it has everything to offer to different types of visitors, from its modern infrastructure and world-renowned hospitality and service, to our rich culture and to-die-for cuisine,” says Phornsiri Manoharn, the Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.


Also known as the City of Angels (Krung Thep), the marvels of the ancient city and Thai hospitality set Bangkok apart from other modern capitals. It is home to more than 10 million of the country's 65 million people.


The Novotel Suvarnabhumi is a four-star hotel a 10-minute walk from Suvarnabhumi Airport. It features five boardrooms, six meeting and function rooms, and a business centre for corporate visitors.


A grand ballroom for up to 1,000 people is at the ready, and the hotel boasts 612 comfortable and contemporary rooms.



For those seeking nightlife, the Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport also offers two bars and six individually themed restaurants, and has a 24-hour airport shuttle every 10 minutes.

For more information contact:

Wacharee Pornchaiwisuthiku
Email : Wacharee_p@novotelsuvarnabhumi.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tel: 66 (0) 2131 1111
Fax
http://www.novotelsuvarnabhumi.com/

Security tightens at Bangkok, Chiang Mai airports

Security at Suvarnabhumi international airport in Bangkok and at Chiang Mai International Airport was stepped up on Friday afternoon after supporters of the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy intruded into Hat Yai, Phuket and Krabi airports in the South.

The intrusion closed all three tourist-important airports, leaving passengers stranded.


All fights to and from both airports have reportedly been cancelled after thousands of PAD supporters blocked their entrances and entered the airport buildings to demand that the government stops using force against the protesters in Bangkok.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Thailand Tells Shamed Rocker to Get. Out.

BANGKOK (Aug. 20) - Thai police brushed aside Gary Glitter's claims of ear and heart problems on Wednesday, saying the shamed British glam rocker would be put on the first available plane to London whether he liked it or not.

Reuters
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Gary Glitter doesn't want to go home. The shamed glam rocker, fresh out of Vietnamese prison on a child sex abuse conviction, claimed he was too sick to fly back to England from a Thai airport, but officials aren't buying it.

Glitter on the Loose

    Staff walk into Louis Tavern transit lounge in Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport August 20, 2008. Shamed rocker Gary Glitter was stuck at Bangkok airport on Wednesday after faking illness to avoid boarding a flight to Britain following his release from a Vietnamese prison for child sex abuse, Thai police said. The 64-year-old Briton, whose real name is Paul Gadd, flew to Bangkok after being booted out of the communist southeast Asian country on Tuesday, the day he completed his three-year sentence. Glitter is now stuck in limbo in a "no man's land" transit lounge called the Louis Tavern. Staff at the Tavern said he was refusing to check out and claiming he was unwell... REUTERS/Kham (THAILAND)

    Reuters

    British rocker Gary Glitter walks at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport August 20, 2008. Glitter was stuck at Bangkok airport on Wednesday after faking illness to avoid boarding a flight to Britain following his release from a Vietnamese prison for child sex abuse, Thai police said. The 64-year-old Briton, whose real name is Paul Gadd, flew to Bangkok after being booted out of the communist southeast Asian country on Tuesday, the day he completed his three-year sentence. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

    Reuters

    British rocker Gary Glitter walks at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport August 20, 2008. Glitter was stuck at Bangkok airport on Wednesday after faking illness to avoid boarding a flight to Britain following his release from a Vietnamese prison for child sex abuse, Thai police said. The 64-year-old Briton, whose real name is Paul Gadd, flew to Bangkok after being booted out of the communist southeast Asian country on Tuesday, the day he completed his three-year sentence. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

    Reuters

    British rocker Gary Glitter walks at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport August 20, 2008. Glitter was stuck at Bangkok airport on Wednesday after faking illness to avoid boarding a flight to Britain following his release from a Vietnamese prison for child sex abuse, Thai police said. The 64-year-old Briton, whose real name is Paul Gadd, flew to Bangkok after being booted out of the communist southeast Asian country on Tuesday, the day he completed his three-year sentence. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

    Reuters

    British rocker Gary Glitter walks at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport August 20, 2008. Glitter was stuck at Bangkok airport on Wednesday after faking illness to avoid boarding a flight to Britain following his release from a Vietnamese prison for child sex abuse, Thai police said. The 64-year-old Briton, whose real name is Paul Gadd, flew to Bangkok after being booted out of the communist southeast Asian country on Tuesday, the day he completed his three-year sentence. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

    Reuters

    CAPTION CLARIFICATION - REMOVING REFERENCE TO GLITTER WALKING TO AIRLINE GATE..British rocker Gary Glitter walks at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport August 20, 2008. Glitter was stuck at Bangkok airport on Wednesday after faking illness to avoid boarding a flight to Britain following his release from a Vietnamese prison for child sex abuse, Thai police said. The 64-year-old Briton, whose real name is Paul Gadd, flew to Bangkok after being booted out of the communist southeast Asian country on Tuesday, the day he completed his three-year sentence. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

    Reuters

    British rocker Gary Glitter walks at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport August 20, 2008. Glitter was stuck at Bangkok airport on Wednesday after faking illness to avoid boarding a flight to Britain following his release from a Vietnamese prison for child sex abuse, Thai police said. The 64-year-old Briton, whose real name is Paul Gadd, flew to Bangkok after being booted out of the communist southeast Asian country on Tuesday, the day he completed his three-year sentence. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

    Reuters

    British rocker Gary Glitter walks at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport August 20, 2008. Glitter was stuck at Bangkok airport on Wednesday after faking illness to avoid boarding a flight to Britain following his release from a Vietnamese prison for child sex abuse, Thai police said. The 64-year-old Briton, whose real name is Paul Gadd, flew to Bangkok after being booted out of the communist southeast Asian country on Tuesday, the day he completed his three-year sentence. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

    Reuters

    British rocker Gary Glitter walks towards an airline gate at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport August 20, 2008. Glitter was stuck at Bangkok airport on Wednesday after faking illness to avoid boarding a flight to Britain following his release from a Vietnamese prison for child sex abuse, Thai police said. The 64-year-old Briton, whose real name is Paul Gadd, flew to Bangkok after being booted out of the communist southeast Asian country on Tuesday, the day he completed his three-year sentence. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

    Reuters

    British rocker Gary Glitter walks at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport August 20, 2008. Glitter was stuck at Bangkok airport on Wednesday after faking illness to avoid boarding a flight to Britain following his release from a Vietnamese prison for child sex abuse, Thai police said. The 64-year-old Briton, whose real name is Paul Gadd, flew to Bangkok after being booted out of the communist southeast Asian country on Tuesday, the day he completed his three-year sentence. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

    Reuters


The 64-year-old Briton, whose real name is Paul Gadd, flew to Bangkok on Tuesday after being booted out of communist Vietnam at the end of nearly three years in jail for sexually abusing two girls.

Apparently fearful of the hostile reception he is likely to receive in Britain, where he has served time for child pornography offences, he avoided boarding the connecting flight to London by claiming he was too sick to fly.

After conducting medical checks and letting him wander, officially "persona non grata," for nearly 24 hours inside Bangkok airport, Thailand's immigration chiefs finally ran out of patience.
"We are barring entry to Paul Francis Gadd and will be deporting him to his home country, England, unconditionally and even if he does not wish to board the plane," they said in a statement.

"We are now waiting to return him to England as soon as possible."

Relocation of security screening points likely

A plan to relocate the security screening points at Suvarnabhumi airport to free up space for commercial development has come under fire for going against the principle of building an airport. Security screening spots in the passenger terminal of Suvarnabhumi airport will be moved away from the embarkation gates into an area in front of the immigration checkpoints in October to pave the way for commercial development, according to airport director Serirat Prasutanont.


Mr Serirat, also the acting president of the Airports of Thailand (AoT), said yesterday the planned change from Oct 1 would create plenty of room near the terminal gates for commercial development.


According to him, the relocation of the screening points would also boost security because passengers will then be screened before accessing the restricted zones of the terminal. They would no longer be required to queue up for security checks at the gates.


The change is also in line with a recommendation of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.


Mr Serirat said some major airports in places like Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan have already taken such steps and relocated the screening points.



An aviation source, however, said that moving the checkpoints would contradict the general principle of building an airport, which is safety before commercial interests.


The AoT may be in it for the profits as larger commercial space, which will likely be set aside for duty-free shopping, would mean bigger revenue.


The structure and procedure changes will also give passengers more time to spend in duty-free shops, the concession for which the AoT has given to a private firm.


If there are more shoppers, the revenue earned from profit-sharing for AoT would also go up, said the source.


According to Mr Serirat, in the long run, the AoT hopes to earn more from non-aviation investments. Currently, 60% of the authority's income comes from aviation-related activities and the rest from the non-aviation sector.


The AoT sees the trend reversing in the future.


Also, an empty area covering 1,140 rai to the northeast of the airport compound will be developed into a so-called Airport Business Centre, worth over 10 billion baht, consisting of a convention centre, an export exhibition centre, office buildings, shopping malls, a hotel, a hospital, entertainment venues and health care facilities, if the AoT is allowed to have its way.


He said AoT would invite private investors to bid for the projects.


''The authority is considering the possibility of allowing a single group of investors to undertake all the projects or selecting different firms, depending on their expertise, to handle them,'' he said.


A 723-rai empty plot in the eastern part of the airport would be transformed into an aviation institute and a high-end industrial estate.


Mr Serirat said the AoT board should receive the details of Suvarnabhumi airport's second phase development plan from its consultancy late next month. After that, the board will seek approval from the cabinet for implementation.


The 70-billion-baht second phase development plan would kick off with the construction of a third runway, he said.


The project is expected to be completed by 2013, one year ahead of its scheduled completion.

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