Bangkok Post : General news

Airports of Thailand (AoT) has identified at least 10 problems plaguing Suvarnabhumi airport's passenger terminal in a report sent to Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen yesterday.

The problems were listed by AoT board member Yodyiam Theptranont, who led a special panel to inspect the terminal, which has come under heavy criticism for causing inconvenience to passengers and also for safety problems.

But some problems were not revealed because they concerned safety issues for passengers, which should be kept secret, according to the report. ''We should place safety as our top priority rather than convenience, beauty and luxury,'' it says.

Among the 10 problems are poor design and inefficient management of electronic and safety systems such as lighting, smoke and heat detectors and smoke eliminators in restaurants in the terminal. These problems could lead to ''tragedies'' in the event of fire, according to the report.

Deputy Transport Minister Sansern Wongcha-um said: ''We're most concerned about the lighting control system at the terminal.'' The system was on the roof of the building and was designed to tolerate temperatures of no more than 40C.

But the report says it is now exposed to heat exceeding this limit and temperatures could jump to 60C in the summer.

The heat could make the system burn and spark fires. Worse, in the event of an accident, the airport staff could take around 45 minutes to reach the system as it is difficult to access.

To solve the problem, Mr Sansern said, a special ''room'' must be built to cover the device and insulator, and a fan or air conditioner installed to control the heat.

The report also says that some airport staff lack a proper working knowledge of handling fire protection systems and the number of staff is not sufficient to ensure regular monitoring of restaurants' smoke disposal devices.

Other problems are deteriorated passenger loading bridges, insufficient surveillance cameras, poor air conditioning systems, inconvenience in the use of revolving doors, and not enough toilets.

To add to AoT's worries, the existing toilets have also been found to be very dirty and the construction of new toilets requires adjusting part of the building, which may add problems if the work is not done carefully, the report says.

''Most problems we already know about, and we've started solving some,'' Mr Theera said after reading the report.

All problems and solutions would be discussed by the AoT board again before being forwarded to the cabinet, he said.

AoT board member Tortrakul Yomnak said the problems partly resulted from the lengthy construction period of the airport, when changes were made to the construction designs and blueprints.

AoT plans to bring in foreign experts to carry out a thorough examination of the causes of the taxiway and runway cracks.

But the Council of Engineers yesterday opposed the state plan.

''Thai engineers have dignity,'' said council president Virah Mavichak. ''To hire foreign engineers raises doubts over whether the government has faith in Thai experts.''
He also expressed doubt over the objectivity of foreign engineers. The airport was designed by foreigners and some foreign firms took part in its construction.

It would raise questions over neutrality if the government allowed foreign experts to carry out the examination, he said.
Absolutely friggin' unbelievable - there are safety concerns for passengers at the airport, but the authorities will not inform the public what they are! The ignorance/arrogance of the AoT board sickens me.