New airport opens

Bangkok's new international airport will see some 800 flights carrying 120,000 passengers fly through the new Suvarnabhumi international airport on its opening day, starting from 3:00 a.m. Thursday (2000 GMT Wednesday), officials said.

About 100 airlines will operate out of the airport, which has an initial capacity of 45 million passengers a year, far larger than the decades-old Don Muang international airport.

"The smooth opening date is crucial so we have to make every effort to make sure every system, especially flight operations, is ready," Thailand's aviation chief Chaisak Angkasuwan told AFP.

Plans to build Suvarnabhumi which means "golden land" in Thai were first drawn up 46 years ago, but the airport was repeatedly delayed by Thailand's turbulent politics, construction delays, and graft allegations.

Now it is set to open just as the peak tourist season gets underway in October, with the industry tipped to finally recover from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Designed by renowned architect Helmut Jahn, the building is the world's single largest airport terminal, according to Thailand's airport authority, and features stunning glass and steel arches meant to evoke the outline of traditional Thai homes.

The three-billion-dollar project had become a personal crusade for Thaksin, who once camped out on the building site to show his support.

The coup leaders were quick to affirm their support for the airport, and so far, the tanks in the streets of Bangkok have become tourist attractions themselves.

"Given peaceful military actions so far, we expect tourism will be affected for about a month because tourists are not confident about flying to Thailand," Siriwan Naphawaranon, Siam City's aviation analyst, told AFP.

Arrivals rose 15 percent year-on-year in seven months to July. So far, only five percent of bookings have been cancelled after the coup, according to the Thai Hotels Association.

Thailand's tourism industry which accounts for six percent of GDP desperately needs the new airport. The existing Don Muang is groaning under the burden of 37 million passengers a year, two million beyond its capacity.

The government hopes the airport will help Thailand compete against rivals Malaysia and Singapore to become the region's most important aviation hub. Now competition is intensifying with Singapore and Malaysian airports expanding.

"Over the years, both Bangkok and Singapore have established themselves as hubs in the region, and it is likely that both will continue to be the more established hubs, even after the opening of Suvarnabhumi airport," said Tjoeng Albert, spokesman of the International Air Transport Association in Singapore.

"Both airports have their own strengths. Bangkok is well placed geographically while Singapore has an efficient world class facility," he said.

"Suvarnabhumi has the potential to become a world-class facility," Tjoeng told AFP