Bangkok’s New Suvarnabhumi Airport

We have received quite a lot of queries from many guests regarding the new Suvarnabhumi Airport so here we are trying to gather as much information as available now for you:

Official name:                  
Suvarnabhumi Airport (pronouced in Thai as SU-VAN-NA-PHOOM)

Scheduled Opening date: 
September 28 2006 (with trial run for 19 flights from TG and 5 low-cost airlines)

Location:                       
The airport is located in Racha Thewa in Bang Phi (district of Samut Prakarn province, some 28 kilometers east of Bangkok

Public Transport:
The construction of the City Airport Terminal in Makkasan and a 28.6 km high-speed rail link to the new airport started in July 2005 and are planned for completion in November 2007, although this deadline, too, seems unlikely to be met. The airport express, informally known as the Pink Line and operated jointly with SRT’s planned Red Line commuter service, will connect with the BTS Sukhumvit Line and MRT Blue Line at Phaya Thai and Phetchaburi stations respectively, offering airport-bound passengers a fast 15-minute limited stop journey from the city.

Approximate traveling to/from city center of Bangkok BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT:
No information is available at this stage.

Approximate traveling to/from city center of Bangkok BY PRIVATE VEHICLE:
1 hour up to 1 and a half hour depending on traffic

Specifications of the airport:
The airport has 2 parallel runways (60 m. wide, 4,000 m. and 3700 m. long) and 2 parallel taxiways to accommodate simultaneous departures and arrivals. It has a total of 120 parking bays (51 with contact gates and 69 remote gates) and 5 of these are capable of accommodating the Airbus A380 aircraft. With a capacity of handling 76 flight operations per hour, both international and domestic flights will share the airport terminal but will be assigned to different parts of the concourse. In the initial phase of construction, it will be capable of handling 45 million passengers and 3 million tonnes of cargo per year. Above the underground rail link station and in front of the passenger terminal building is the 600-room hotel operated by Accor Group under the Novotel brand. Between the airport hotel and the terminal building are the two 5-storey car park buildings with a combined capacity of 5,000 cars. The airport has 5 main access routes, among these the most convenient route is via the Bangkok-Chon Buri Motorway (Highway No. 7). In addition to the express rail link, 11 city bus routes operated by BMTA will serve the airport.

Long-term plans for four runways flanking two main terminals and two satellite buildings with a combined capacity capable of handling up to 100 million passengers and 6.4 million tonnes of cargo a year are on the drawing board. The second phase of airport expansion involving the construction of a satellite building south of the main terminal is expected to begin 3 to 5 years after the completion of the first main termi

Source: http://www.wikipedia.com and others

Add comment July 13th, 2006

Great book on National Parks of Thailand

For those planning planning to visit the national parks, the recently launched National Parks and Other Wild Places of Thailand could be useful source of information on how to prepare for such trips and what they can expect there.

The full-colour title covers 35 national parks. It categories them by region and all information is sourced from theh Forestry Department and observations of its author, Stephen Elliott. The pictures were taken by Gerald Cubitt.

The book contains information about their geography, history, as well as box of tellng their location, climate, recommended visiting time, how to get there, equipment one needs to carry, facilities and activities.

The book is priced at THB 1,195.00 and available at all branches of Asia Books (http://www.asiabooks.com)

Source: Bangkok Post (July 13 2006)

We have already seen the book and must say its really one of the best books on National Parks of Thailand. Ideal for all nature lovers who are planning to visit any of the national park here in Thailand as you have all the useful information you need to know!

Add comment July 13th, 2006