The name Suvarnabhumi is
Sanskrit for "land of gold" (
Devanagari:सुवर्णभूमि
IAST: Suvarṇabhūmi; Suvarṇa[9] is "gold", Bhūmi[10] is 'land'; literally "golden land"). The name was chosen by the late
KingBhumibol Adulyadej whose name includes Bhūmi, referring to the
Buddhistgolden kingdom, thought to have been to the east of the
Ganges, possibly somewhere in Southeast Asia. In Thailand, government proclamations and national museums insist that Suvarnabhumi was somewhere on the coast of the central plains, near the ancient city of
U Thong, which might be the origin of the
IndianisedDvaravati culture.[11] Although the claims have not been substantiated, the Thai government named the new Bangkok airport Suvarnabhumi Airport, in celebration of this tradition.
Suvarnabhumi was officially opened for limited domestic flight service on 15 September 2006, and opened for most domestic and all international commercial flights on 28 September 2006.[12]
The airport is on what had formerly been known as Nong Nguhao (Cobra Swamp) in
Racha Thewa in
Bang Phli,
Samut Prakan province as well as the districts of
Bang Kapi,
Lat Krabang,
Bang Na and
Prawet in the eastern side of Bangkok, about 25 kilometres (16 mi) from downtown. The terminal building was designed by
Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn Architects. It was constructed primarily by
ITO JV. The airport had the world's tallest free-standing
control tower (132.2 metres or 434 feet) from 2006 to 2014,[13] and the world's fourth largest single-building
airport terminal (563,000 square metres or 6,060,000 square feet).
Suvarnabhumi reassigned the
IATA airport code, BKK, from
Don Mueang after that airport ceased international commercial flights.
Motorway 7 connects the airport, Bangkok, and the heavily industrial
eastern seaboard of Thailand, where most export manufacturing takes place.
During the
COVID-19 pandemic, the airport was temporarily converted to a hospital[16] and
vaccination center.[17]
Land purchase, initial early phase of construction
The need for the new airport was recognized in 1973 when 8,000 acres (3,200 ha) of land was purchased 40 kilometres (25 mi) east of Bangkok. The site, known as Cobra Swamp, was drained and named Suvarnabhumi, meaning "realm of gold".[citation needed] On 14 October 1973, student-led protests led to the overthrow of the military government of Prime Minister
Thanom Kittikachorn and the project was shelved.[citation needed]
Suvarnabhumi Airport's development began to take shape in 1992-1993 during the
Chuan Leekpai government when the master plan was created. This master plan was prepared by the consulting group of
Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT), with
Louis Berger International Inc., a well-known American consulting company, also joining in. On 20 November 1997, Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai declared his intention to accelerate the airport's construction with a budget of 120 billion baht, as approved by the Cabinet around 1994.[18]
However, after a series of ups and downs, the 'New Bangkok International Airport' company (NBIA) was finally formed in 1996.[19] Due to political and economic instabilities, notably the
Asian financial crisis of 1997, construction did not commence until six years later in January 2002 by the government of
Thaksin Shinawatra. During the Thaksin Shinawatra government in 2001-2002, an auction was held to build Terminal 1. While the winning bid initially exceeded the budget, the government made modifications, reducing the cost to 36,000 million baht. As a result, Terminal 1 wasn't fully constructed according to the master plan, leaving vacant space on the east and west, necessitating future expansion by AOT.[18]
A further delay was caused by the discovery that the airport had been built over an old graveyard. Superstitious construction workers claimed to have seen ghosts there. On 23 September 2005, the Thai airport authority held a ceremony where 99 Buddhist monks chanted to appease the spirits.[20]
Full tests of the airport took place on 3 and 29 July 2006. Six local airlines —
Thai Airways International,
Nok Air,
Thai AirAsia,
Bangkok Airways,
PBair, and
One-Two-Go Airlines — used the airport as a base for twenty domestic flights.[21][22] The first international test flights were conducted on 1 September 2006. Two Thai Airways aircraft, a
Boeing 747-400 and an
Airbus A300-600, simultaneously departed the airport at 09:19 to
Singapore and
Hong Kong respectively. At 15:50 the same aircraft flew back and made simultaneous touchdowns on runways 19L and 19R. These test flights demonstrated the readiness of the airport to handle traffic.[citation needed]
On 15 September 2006, the airport started limited daily operations with
Jetstar Asia operating three Singapore to Bangkok flights. Bangkok Airways moved to the airport on 21 September.
AirAsia and
Thai AirAsia followed on 25 September and on 26 September
Nok Air moved to Suvarnabhumi Airport. During this initial phase, as well as in the previous tests, the airport used the temporary IATA code NBK.[citation needed]
Suvarnabhumi officially opened at 03:00 on 28 September 2006, taking over all flights from Don Mueang. The first flight to arrive was a
Lufthansa Cargo flight LH8442 from
Mumbai at 03:05.[23] The first commercial arrival was
Japan Airlines at 03:30. The first passenger arrival was
Aerosvit flight VV171 from
Kyiv at 04:30, and the first cargo departure was
Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SV-984 to
Riyadh at 05:00.[24] Aerosvit also had the first passenger departure (VV172 to Kyiv) around 05:30.[25]
Initial difficulties
Difficulties were reported in the first few days of the airport's operation. On the first day alone, sluggish luggage handling was common—the first passenger arrival by Aerosvit took an hour for the luggage to start coming out, and some flights did not have their luggage coming out even after four hours. Flights were delayed (Thai Airways claimed that 17 of 19 flights were delayed that day), and there were failures with the check-in system.[26][27] Subsequent problems included the failure of the cargo computer system, and the departure boards displaying the wrong information, resulting in confused passengers (especially as unlike Don Mueang, there were no "final calls" issued).[28]
Months after its opening, issues of congestion, construction quality, signage, provision of facilities, and soil subsidence continued to plague the project, prompting calls to reopen Don Mueang to allow for repairs to be made.[29] Expert opinions varied widely on the extent of Suvarnabhumi's problems as well as their root cause. Most airlines stated that damage to the airport was minimal.[30][31] Then Prime Minister
Surayud Chulanont reopened Don Mueang for domestic flights voluntarily on 16 February 2007, with 71 weekly flights moved back initially, but no international flights.[32]
Capacity and safety issues
Tarmac problems
In January 2007, ruts were discovered in the runways at Suvarnabhumi.[33] The east runway was scheduled to close for repairs. Expert opinions varied as to the cause of the ruts.[30] Airport authorities and airline representatives maintained that the airport was still safe and resisted suggestions that the airport should be completely closed and all flights moved back to Don Mueang.[34]
On 27 January 2007, the Department of Civil Aviation declined to renew the airport's safety certificate, which had expired the previous day. The
ICAO requires that international airports hold aerodrome safety certificates, but Suvarnabhumi continued to operate because the ICAO requirement had yet to be adopted as part of Thai law.[35]
As of early 2016, tarmac problems persisted at Suvarnabhumi. Soft spots on the tarmac, taxiways, and apron area had not been permanently fixed. Aircraft were getting stuck on the soft surfaces that are the result of sub-standard materials. "The constant resurfacing of the tarmac, taxiways and apron area with asphalt is an unacceptable patchwork solution. We literally need a "concrete" solution", said Tony Tyler,
IATA's director general and CEO.[36]
Plans to re-open Don Mueang for domestic flights
In January 2007, Thai Airways announced a plan to move some of its domestic operations back to
Don Mueang International Airport due to overcrowding. Three days later, the Ministry of Transport recommended temporarily reopening Don Mueang while repair work on the runways at Suvarnabhumi proceeded. At that time,
Thai Airways said it would shift most of its domestic flights back to Don Mueang while keeping flights with high international passenger connections such as
Chiang Mai and
Phuket at Suvarnabhumi. On 28 March 2009, Thai Airways discontinued all domestic flights from Don Mueang. Bangkok Airways and
One-Two-GO Airlines had similar plans, but Bangkok Airways remained at Suvarnabhumi.
Thai AirAsia said it would not move unless it could shift both its international and domestic operations, prompting them to stay at Suvarnabhumi for the time being.
Nok Air and
PBair were undecided, but Nok Air later relocated all flights to Don Mueang, where they operate today.[37][38] As of January 2010, only Nok Air and One-Two-GO operated domestic flights from Don Mueang Airport. PBair have ceased operations altogether. One-Two-GO was integrated into
Orient Thai Airlines in July 2010, but continues to operate from Don Mueang Airport.
As of 1 October 2012, Air Asia has moved all of its Bangkok operations to Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) from Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK).[39]
Repair and upgrades
Airports of Thailand found that the cost of fixing 60 identified problems at the airport would be less than one percent of the total airline cost and the problems could be fixed in up to four to five years. Dr Narupol Chaiyut, a member of a committee overseeing service problems at the new airport, estimated that 70 percent of the problems would be fixed in 2007. Twenty of the 60 problems were successfully fixed by February 2007.[40]
Architectural design
Suvarnabhumi Airport's main terminal roof is designed with structural elements and bays placed in a
cantilevered, wavelike form to appear to "float" over the concourse beneath. This overall design principle was to express the former essence of the site, from which water had to be drained before construction could begin. The eight composite 2,710-ton trusses supporting the canopy of the main terminal are essentially diagrams of the bending moments acting on them, with the greatest depth at mid-span and over the supports.[41]
The result of
Helmut Jahn's vision is a structure with performance materials serve in their total composition and in use more than in their conventional roles. This maximizes daylight use in comfort with substantial energy life-cycle cost savings. The installed cooling system reduced up to 50 percent compared to a conventional system. A translucent membrane with three layers was developed to mediate between the interior and exterior climate, dealing with noise and temperature transmission, while still allowing natural flow of daylight into building along with views of greenery outside.[42]
Airport ranking
The airport was ranked number 48 among the world's top 100 airports in 2020. Other
ASEAN airports in 2020 were ranked:
Changi Airport, 1;
Kuala Lumpur International Airport, 63;
Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, 35;
Hanoi, 87.[43] Suvarnabhumi was ranked 46 in 2019,[44] 38 in 2017[45] and 36 in 2016.[46] According to the
Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) in 2018, the airport's ranking had not improved over the past six years. Customer complaints include: lengthy immigration waiting times; transit day room issues; insufficient numbers of chairs and phone charging points; insufficient English-speaking staff; and poor information displays.[47][48]
Events
On 25 January 2007, due to work upgrading the taxiways which suffered from small cracks, a few incoming flights were delayed and several flights were safely diverted to
U-Tapao International Airport in Rayong Province.[49]
On 26 November 2008, an illegal occupation of the airport took place by
People's Alliance for Democracy, closing the departure lounge and blocking exits and leaving almost 3,000 passengers stranded in the main terminal and another 350,000 stranded inside the country, as all flights were grounded. The People's Alliance for Democracy seized the control tower at 12:00.[50] On 2 December 2008, protesters agreed to leave the airport as they had been illegally protesting and permitted the resumption of flights. Security checks, clean-ups, and re-certification once the illegal occupation ended delayed the airport from being fully functional until 5 December 2008.[51]
On 5 January 2019, the airport gained international attention when a
Saudi Arabian ex-
Muslim,
Rahaf Mohammed, fleeing an abusive family that punished children who did not follow their religion, was accosted by Thai authorities at the behest of Saudi Arabia and sent to one of the airport's hotels to await repatriation back to her family and country. Fearing that she could be killed for being a disgrace to her family and religion, she barricaded herself in the hotel room, opened a
Twitter account to plead for her freedom, and requested assistance from
United Nations agents to get her to the
Western world, away from her family, as a
resettled refugee. As her pleas for help went viral, Thai agents agreed to let her go to
Canada to start a new life
withoutIslam.[52]
In January 2021, a motorist drove his car through security gates and onto the tarmac at the airport while it was in use. It was later revealed that the driver had been under the influence of methamphetamine, which were also discovered in the trunk of the car. The driver claimed that he had taken a wrong turn.[53][54]
Predatory irregularities
Petty thieves and confidence men, the majority of them illegal taxi drivers or tour guides, are known to prey on tourists in the arrival hall. They belong to politically well connected criminal groups: Kamnan Samruay, Boonruang Srisang, Sak Pakphanang, the Pattaya Mafia and Phuyai Daeng.[55] Evicting them has proved difficult as they allegedly are well connected. (The head of the Pirap gang is supposedly related to an
Airports of Thailand executive, while the Phuyai Daeng has ties to influential civil servants in
Samut Prakan.[55])
On 1 October 2010, two hundred armed men occupied the airport's parking area for an hour, blocking the building's entrances and seizing ticket booths to collect fares from motorists.[56] Airport security personnel failed to respond, reportedly because of an internal dispute within the parking management company, the firm contracted to run the parking facilities.[56]
Airport terminal and future expansion
Airport terminal
Costing an estimated 155 billion
baht (US$5 billion), the airport has two parallel
runways (60 m wide, 4,000 m and 3,700 m long) and two parallel
taxiways to accommodate simultaneous departures and arrivals.[57] It has a total of 120 parking bays (51 with contact gates and 69 remote gates), with five of these capable of accommodating the
Airbus A380. Suvarnabhumi Airport has 72
jet bridges and 69 non-jet bridges. Additionally, flights are able to park at remote locations on the ramp, from which airport buses transport passengers to and from the terminal. Suvarnabhumi Airport has 18 jet bridges and 6 non-jet bridges for
Airbus A380.[citation needed]
The airport's two runways can accommodate 64 flights per hour. At peak times the runways average 63 flights per hour. In April 2019 the Thai cabinet approved a sum of 21.8 billion baht for the construction of a third runway. Construction will start in 2019 and be completed in 2021. The third runway will accommodate a maximum of 30 flights per hour. The project will be managed by
Airports of Thailand (AOT).[58]
The main passenger terminal building, with a capacity of handling 76 flight operations per hour, co-locates the international and domestic terminals, though assigning them to different parts of the concourse. In the initial phase of construction, it was capable of handling 45 million passengers and three million tonnes of
cargo per year. Above the
underground rail link station and in front of the passenger terminal building is a 600-room hotel operated by
Accor under the
Novotel brand.
The airport's passenger terminal is the world's largest passenger terminal ever constructed in one phase at 563,000 square metres (6,060,000 sq ft), and is also currently the fourth biggest passenger terminal building in the world, after the
Hong Kong International Airport (570,000 square metres or 6,100,000 square feet),
Beijing Capital International Airport (990,000 square metres or 10,700,000 square feet), with the largest passenger terminal at
Dubai International Airport (Terminal 3 is over 1,713,000 square metres or 18,440,000 square feet). The airport air-traffic control tower was the tallest in the world at 135 metres (443 ft) from 2006 to 2014.[13]
From the opening of Suvarnabhumi in 2006 to early 2017, eight people had fallen to their deaths from upper-floor walkways, prompting the airport to spend 33 million baht in 2013 building glass barriers to prevent people from falling and/or taking their lives.[59]
Departures hall
Arrivals hall
Concourse A at the northeast handles domestic flights only
Concourse E
Concourse G
Expansion plans
By mid-2015, the airport was handling more than 800 flights per day, higher than its 600-flight capacity. It has exceeded its capacity of 45 million passengers per year.[60]
Airports of Thailand (AOT) approved an investment budget for the expansion of Suvarnabhumi Airport and construction was expected to be completed by April 2023.[61] The plan was to strengthen Suvarnabhumi Airport's position as a regional aviation hub. Phase Two would raise the airport's capacity to 65 million passengers a year and would be undertaken in parallel with the construction of a new domestic terminal.[62] The new domestic terminal will be intended to accommodate more than 30 million passengers annually.[63]
The two expansion projects are part of the overall airport enlargement that would see Suvarnabhumi raise its annual passenger handling capacity to 125 million passengers, 90 million international and 35 million domestic passengers by 2024 at an estimated cost of 163 billion baht (US$5.25 billion/€3.62 billion). The expansion includes the construction of one additional runway of 3,700 metres (12,100 ft), subsequent enlargement of domestic and international terminals, and improvements to parking bays, car parks, and other airport infrastructure.[64]
In March 2024 Prime Minister
Srettha Thavisin said the third runway would open in October 2024, with a long-term target capacity of 150 million passengers.[65]
A new satellite passenger concourse called SAT-1 unofficially opened in September 2023[66] and is expected to fully open from early 2024.[67] It is linked to the current main terminal via an underground
automated people mover (APM) system. The new people mover was provided by
Siemens using the
NeoVAL technology.[68] The new satellite terminal has a total of 28 gates, with eight for the
Airbus A380 super jumbo jet.[69]
Suvarnabhumi accounted for
the largest share of air traffic at Thailand's airports in 2023, handling 51.7 million passengers in 2023, up by 80 percent from the previous year despite its passenger capacity of only 45 million a year.
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on
Phabricator and on
MediaWiki.org.
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport passenger totals.
See
Wikidata query.
Comparison of passenger volume, aircraft movements and cargo volume at Suvarnabhumi Airport, by year
Year
Passengers
Change from previous year
Movements
Cargo (tons)
Notes
2008
38,603,490
–
–
1,173,084
2009
40,500,224
04.9%
–
1,045,194
2010
42,784,967
05.6%
–
1,310,146
2011
47,910,744
012.0%
299,566
–
2012
53,002,328
010.6%
312,493
–
Source: Airports Council International[199] In 2012, the government enjoined all low-cost airlines to move their hubs to
DMK in October.
8 September 2013: Thai Airways International Flight 679, an
Airbus A330-300, (HS-TEF, Song Dao), arriving from
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) had a
runway excursion from runway 19L while landing in heavy rain with extensive damage to the airplane and the runway. All passengers and crew were evacuated with no serious injuries.[205] Preliminary investigation determined the cause of the incident to be the right
landing gear collapsing as a result of a damaged
bogie.[205] In the aftermath of the accident, Thai Airways had the logos of the aircraft painted over in black, prompting widespread criticism of attempted cover-up. An airline official initially said that the practice was part of the "crisis communication rule" recommended by
Star Alliance. This was denied by the group, and Thai Airways later clarified that the "de-identifying" of aircraft was its own practice and not Star Alliance policy.[206][207] The controversy prompted discussion over the appropriateness and effectiveness of the practice as a brand-protection policy.[208] The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and written off as a hull loss.[209] The airframe has since been converted to a roadside attraction called Airways Land, featuring a cafe and event space, on
Mittraphap Road in
Sida District,
Nakhon Ratchasima Province.[210]
29 September 2015: A Thai Airways
airport dolly crashed into an airport cleaner at bay 511.[211]
1 July 2020: A
Boeing 767-200(Z-WPF) flight UM462 with two passengers and 17 crew from
Air Zimbabwe made an emergency landing because the left engine had shut down.[214]
24 July 2022: A
Boeing 777-200 from
Austrian Airlines, was enroute at FL320 about 240 nm northwest of Bangkok when the crew decided to return to Bangkok as a precaution due to a malfunctioning oven.
The 30 billion baht Suvarnabhumi Airport Link was opened on 23 August 2010,[215] after multiple delays. The Airport Rail Link (ARL) is operated by SRTET, a subsidiary company of the
State Railway of Thailand. The
standard gauge line is 28.6 kilometres (17.8 mi) long and is elevated for most of its length, running mostly above existing regional railway lines and parallel to Motorway 7 and Si Rat Expressway. There is a short at-grade/underground segment as the line approaches the passenger terminal building of Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The ARL Station is located on the Underground floor of Suvarnabhumi Airport which also links to the Airports' Novotel Hotel adjacent to the Main Terminal.
The ARL hours of service are 06:00 to 00:00.[216] The ARL has two interchange stations, namely Phaya Thai (changing for
BTS Green Line services) and Makkasan (linking Phetchaburi station of the
MRT Blue Line). In the future, the ARL will complement the SRT Red Line commuter service, which comprises two-meter gauge, dual-track lines. The ARL may also be extended from Phaya Thai to Don Mueang via
Bang Sue Grand Station, given that the old Don Mueang International Airport has now been reopened for civil aviation under a dual-airport policy.
Regional train
Meanwhile,
SRT provides a
suburban commuter train service between Lad Krabang (the nearest station to Suvarnabhumi on the East line, one station from the airport by
Airport Rail Link) and the northern suburban city of Rangsit via downtown Bangkok and the old Don Mueang Airport. The train also connects with
BTS and
MRT at Phaya Thai and Phetchaburi stations respectively. A shuttle bus service linking the airport with Hua Takhe railway station is provided by BMTA. The train service is currently not as popular as the bus service because it requires a shuttle bus connection. The service will be stopped when the Airport Express Link is completed.[citation needed]
Bus
Northeast of the Airport is Suvarnabhumi Public Transport Center, which is the Airport's Main Bus Terminal.
A free bus service connecting Suvarnabhumi Airport and
Don Mueang Airport operates from 05.00 until midnight. Three air-conditioned city bus routes are operated by Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) serve the airport's dedicated bus terminal. There are also direct buses between the airports operated by Airport Shuttle Bus.
Taxi
Located on Level 1 (Ground Level) are where the Public Taxis are located. A ticket printed from the ticket queue machine (located on the same floor) is required before queuing up for a taxi.
Car
The airport has five main access routes. Among these the most convenient route is via the Bangkok Chon Buri Motorway (Motorway 7). Another main airport entrance is in Samut Prakan Province via the expressway from Bang Na to Bang Pakong.
The Airport has 7 different car park zones, with zone 2 & 3 having direct access to the departure/arrival terminal. Located northeast of the airport is the Longterm Car Park Zone, next to the Bus Terminal.
The airport has provided five entrance routes. The main route is via the motorway in the north of Bangkok, directly connecting Bangkok's downtown and
Chonburi Province, the industrial and harbor city in eastern Thailand. However, another main airport entrance is in Samut Prakan Province, connecting an elevated highway in the south of Bangkok from Bang Na to Bang Pakong.
Sky Lane Cycle Track
In December 2015,
Airports of Thailand introduced Sky Lane (
Thai: สกายเลน), a cycling track around the Suvarnabhumi airport perimeter. The entrance to Sky Lane is located in the northeastern corner of the airport area. Cyclists can bring their bicycles and bike here for free. The Sky Lane is a controlled-access, one-direction, two-lane track built only for cycling, so the riders can be ensured that they won't be bothered by any vehicle. The Sky Lane's length is 23.5 km, making it the longest in Asia.[217] Sky Lane's facilities, which are specially designed for cyclists, include medical facilities, shops, food & beverage, track, parking lot and a rest area. The entrance gate is open from 06:00 to 18:00.[218]
On 23 November 2018,
King Rama X presided over the official opening of cycling lane at Suvarnabhumi airport and denominated the track as Happy and Healthy Bike Lane (
Thai: สนามลู่ปั่นจักรยานเจริญสุขมงคลจิต).[219]
^"Bangkok Airport". BBC Three. 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2017. Series in which young Brits pass through Bangkok Airport to embark on adventures of a lifetime.
^Damrong Rachanubhab, "History of Siam in the Period Antecedent to the Founding of Ayuddhya by King Phra Chao U Thong", Miscellaneous Articles: Written for the Journal of the Siam Society by His late Royal Highness Prince Damrong, Bangkok, 1962, pp. 49–88, p. 54; Promsak Jermsawatdi, Thai Art with Indian Influences, New Delhi, Abhinav Publications, 1979, pp. 16–24. William J. Gedney, "A Possible Early Thai Route to the Sea", Journal of the Siam Society, Volume 76, 1988, pp. 12–16.
[1]