11 flights affected by West Runway's crack
Airports of Thailand Plc, the operator of Suvarnabhumi Airport, has already fixed the crack on the West Runway, which led to the diversion of 11 flights and delays of about 200 flights last night.
Somchai Sawasdeepon, senior executive vice president of AOT, today led a media tour to the spot, within Section 19R.
The 6cm-deep 60x60cm long crack prompted the closure of the runway during 8.30-9.30pm last night for fixing.
Somchai attributed the crack to water infiltration during the floods and long time of use. He said that such cracks are found at many other spots of the runway.
He admitted that this would affect the traffic, as the East Runway is now closed for maintenance.
Last night, a number of 11 flights were diverted; 3 to Don Mueang Airport, 7 to U-Tapao Airport and 1 to Chiang Mai International Airport. About 200 flights had been delayed as a result. One flight was delayed as long as 80 minutes.
"This is considered normal, as the runway has been used for some time. Plus, it has been heavily used now that the East Runway is closed. Since the beginning of this year, Suvarnabhumi has closed runways for emergency fixing for 55 times," Somchai said.
He also revealed the plan for a major maintenance for the runway, to maintain users' confidence. A discussion with related parties will be hosted soon.
Meanwhile, the maintenance of the East Runway is also expected to be completed a week prior to the August 9 schedule. Somchai said that the runway will be immediately re-opened upon completion.
