Fórum Airways.cz

Nechavam kolegy se hadat zda PRG ma dostatek problemu s vycisteni drahy apod, snih.... asi z me strany je to smesne jelikoz vse je relativni. Podivejte se na MEGA letiste Bangkok Suvanabhumi ktery se stava nejvetsi ostudou Thajcum. Letiste se rozpada a jiz maji straslive problemy s drahami a taxiways ktere sejim pred ocima mizi.

jiz nekoli letounu denne se divertuje na blizkou Pattaya U tapao jelikoz to uz nezvladaji.a to podotknu ze letiste jeste funguje na 60-70% kapacity

Four incoming flights diverted to U-tapao

Taxiway No. 11 at Suvarnabhumi airport is now under repair after cracks were found on its surface.

Four incoming flights were diverted from Bangkok to U-tapao for refuelling yesterday after being held in a holding pattern for too long _ a delay caused by repairs to Suvarnabhumi airport's cracked runway.

Tortrakul Yomnak, a board member of Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT), said one Nok Air flight, one Thai AirAsia plane and two Thai Airways International flights, from Japan and Singapore, had to land at U-tapao airport about 3pm to take on extra fuel. Afterwards they flew back to Suvarnabhumi.

Large aircraft had to circle above Suvarnabhumi because only its eastern runway could serve them yesterday.

The western runway was partly closed for repairs to its cracked take-off area. The repair work cut its usable length from 4,000 metres to 2,500 metres and it could serve only relatively small airraft.

The repairs were expected to be completed late last night.

Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen visited Suvarnabhumi airport yesterday to inspect damage to both the runway and the taxiways.

He acknowledged there were over 100 damaged spots in 25 areas. Seven areas have been repaired and the repairs to each area will take about two weeks.

He admitted the damage and repairs were inconveniencing passengers.

Because of the cracked taxiways, aircraft cannot approach 11 of the total 51 parking aprons. The closure of those areas was causing heavy congestion and many planes were forced to use remote parking areas.

An AoT source said about 10 of the total 102 concertina-like airbridges were also unusable because they developed cracks. This caused the total closure of the concourse D5 section.

Adm Theera yesterday also ordered the relocation of 12 electrical control cabinets for the passenger terminal for safety reasons.

The cabinets control the electrical and lighting systems of the whole terminal and were installed on the hot rooftop of the terminal to maximise usable space inside the terminal. The minister was concerned that the overheated cabinets could break down or even catch fire.

The AoT board met yesterday but made no decision on the transfer of any AoT executives over the problems at Suvarnabhumi airport. It will consider revamping the whole of the AoT management at a later stage.

Mr Tortrakul said the AoT board has found that King Power International Group occupies larger commercial areas than its contract allows.

The contract allows King Power to use 25,000 square metres but the firm's actual commercial areas, including those leased to sub-contractors, together totalled about 36,000 square metres, he said.

The issue would have to be corrected because commercial areas were obstructing the movements of passengers.

Income from the shops was not the main concern of the AoT, he said.

Mr Tortrakul said the AoT board was investigating whether there were any irregularities in the bidding for the contract that allows King Power to to manage all commercial space in the passenger terminal.

A source on the AoT board said shops would have to be removed so the overall commercial area matched the space allowed by the contract.

Podivejte se na mapu kde co je podelane a co je docasne opravene a opet se rozpada http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/26Jan2007_news03.php



Urad pro Thajske letectvi jim odmitl dat safety certificate ale vypada to ze jim to putno

Suvarnabhumi denied safety certification

(Bangkokpost.com)
The Department of Civil Aviation has refused an application by Suvarnabhumi Airport for an international safety certificate. The certificate is not technically required, so the airport will remain open for now.

But the denial of a safety credential is a huge setback for the showpiece airport.

The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) had been scheduled Friday either to issue a permanent Aerodrome Certificate for Suvarnabhumi Airport, or renew an interim document awarded on July 25.

Instead it opted to postpone the decision, keeping Suvarnabhumi in its status as not having the certificate.

The so-called Aerodrome Certificate for meeting safety requirements assures that the airport has the miniumum standards set by the UN International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

"Getting the certificate is not legally binding so Suvarnabhumi can operate without such a certificate," Chaisak DCA director general Chaisak Angkasuwan said. But he told the French news agency AFP his agency's decision would knock confidence in Suvarnabhumi.

To jeste nemluvim o straslivem bordelu v samotnem terminalu ktery zacina ukazovat to ze materialy jsou spatne, spatne planovani. Pracuji zde v Thajsku a mluvims lidmi ktere tam pracuji a povidaji mi ochybejici turbiny za miliony, nedokoncene veci a veci ktere vubec ani nebyly postavene ale byly podepsane pri kolaudaci. vsude postavili obchody ze se neda hnout a pak to vypada tak necivilizovane jako v nejakem bazaru...opravdu ostuda

vidim jak se hodne brzy vratime na Don Muang... ani mi to neprekvapuje. Pristup Thajcu kpraci je straslivy a korupce je divoka. Neni divu ze VSE v tom mega miliardovem letisti je vykradene, rozbyte a postavene na zaklade kamaradskych vztahu s firmami apod.

tak prestante se porad stezovat na cechy..hehehehehe


[/b]

to MS743: Tak to je silný kafe! Škoda, že tam není více fotek..

Jafa píše:to MS743: Tak to je silný kafe! Škoda, že tam není více fotek..

Budu dodavat pravidelne info ohledne "maskaradu" jmenem BKK Suvarnabhumi... je to komicke ale rozmer korupce je neviadny .Thajci to chteji ututlat a VSE hodit na jedineho cloveka ktereho nemaji radi a to exilovany X-premier Thaksin... dnes vse co se deje se na neho haze... easy a po Thajsku....

SUVARNABHUMI
Airport chief steps down amidst crisis

AOT boss Chotisak cites 'poor health', general manager shifted to inactive post .Heads have begun to roll at Suvarna-bhumi Airport. Under tremendous pressure over the mounting problems at the new airport Chotisak Asapaviriya yesterday resigned as president of Airports of Thailand (AOT). His resignation was effective immediately.Somchai Sawasdeepon, the general manager of AOT, was also shifted by the board to the inactive post of "company specialist".

The resignation of Chotisak and shifting of Somchai came after an endless series of scandals surrounding the new airport forced authorities to make plans to shift some domestic flights back to Don Muang Airport.
The AOT's board of directors appointed its vice president Kullaya Phakakong, who is responsible for planning and finance, to succeed Chotisak. It also appointed Serirat Prasutanond, executive vice president for regional airports, to replace Somchai as general manager. Chotisak voluntarily stepped down, citing ill health as the reason, a source from the AOT board said.
General Saprang Kalayanamitr, deputy commander of the Royal Thai Army, chaired the board meeting. He had been signalling for some time that he was unhappy with Chotisak's performance.
Chotisak, who obtained a score of 62 points on his six-month performance assessment last October, had been under pressure from a host of problems: from taxiway cracks and lost luggage to leaks in the terminal roof and damage to cargo.His score was just above the target of 60 points and his performance was due to be re-assessed in three months.

Before joining AOT on April 3, Chotisak had worked at Siam City Bank and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Bank of Thailand.
Somchai was not available for comment yesterday. His replacement, Serirat, said he would tackle the problems with urgency.The industry veteran said he had not expected to be given the job. Serirat said he would immediately call a meeting of executives to handle the crisis. AOT's board earlier established three committees to investigate and resolve problems at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The first panel has been working on relieving the problems of passengers. The second is overseeing security to eliminate crime and ensure adequate measures to combat terrorism are in place. The third panel is responsible for tackling corruption.

Letiste funguje jakz takz ok ale je to bida... mega inzerce na celem svete na nove letiste ktera stala miliardy a ted budova ktera pada, rozpada se a runway ktery bude vypadat jako rice fields neboli ryzova pole... a jeste zvysuji od dneska taxu odletovou z 500 na 700THB ( 500THB=cca301KC a 700THB=cca421KC) a bude behem konce mesice jiz v ramci letenky a nebude se muset platit primo pred pasovkou. a co na to letiste? chteji extra penize na opravy. kdo opet slizne ucet za kopupce? cizinci. Velmi typicke od Thajska.. cizinci tu jsou jen proto aby vse platili... konec koncu maji penize, ne? nehlede na to ze penez maji dost kdyz maji miliardove zisky

Fee hike unjustified, say airlines .A hefty increase in passenger service charges at airports run by the Airports of Thailand (AoT) went into effect quietly yesterday, as airlines questioned the justification for the move. The charge for international departure flights increased by 40% from 500 baht to 700 baht, and doubled for domestic flights, from 50 baht to 100 baht.

Airlines said the steep rises are unjustified when passengers are still putting up with poor service and facilities at the troubled Suvarnabhumi airport. Most of the problems which have annoyed many passengers passing through Bangkok's new airport since its opening on Sept 28, ranging from long waits for luggage to insufficient toilet facilities, poor air-conditioning and general uncleanliness, have not been tackled, they said.

The new fees for international departures at Suvarnabhumi and other AoT airports means passengers will be paying more than passengers do when they leave Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, and slightly less than Hong Kong. Kuala Lumpur International Airport charges international passengers 51 ringgit, including six ringgit for a new security fee _ the equivalent of 519 baht. The passenger service charge at Singapore's Changi is S$21 (about 489 baht), while at Hong Kong International Airport, passengers pay HK$153 (about 705 baht). Airline executives said the airports of Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, which are competing with Bangkok's airport, can justify their fees as they offer greater value than Suvarnabhumi and AoT airports. 'It is unfair for passengers to be penalised by the increased charge, on top of the poor service they are getting at Suvarnabhumi,'' said one executive.

Another said the airport should have suspended the increase until authorities can ensure that passengers get the kind of service they deserve. AoT says the increase is needed to help raise money to fix the construction flaws at the airport, including cracked and damaged runways. It would provide the promised returns to shareholders, it said. AoT is 70% state-owned. In the last fiscal year, AoT posted a 41% jump in net profit to 10.4 billion baht. With earnings before interest and tax of 64% in 2006, AoT is the most profitable airport company in Asia and among the top five in the world. Starting from yesterday, airlines were told to collect the charge on behalf of AoT, which previously required passengers to purchase passenger service charge tickets before entering immigration.

Jine letiste v regionu mozna maji stejne vysoke nebo jeste vyssi poplatky ale jak tam vypada servis? nebe a dudy!!!!!!!!!! Myslel jsem ze BKK bude opravdu srovnatelny se Singaporem, HK ci KL ale Bangkok je asi jen 30% toho co nabizi zbytek kolem..... tak co? jeste vypada situace na Ruzyni tak spatne?

dalsi nelichotive info...

Some air traffic 'must' return to Don Muang
A partial closing of the new Suvarnabhumi airport for repairs is certain, and some of its traffic must return to Don Muang airport. Suvarnabhumi will continue to operate at a limited level while repairs are made.

Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen confirmed yesterday he had received and acknowledged the findings of the initial inquiry into the damaged taxi lanes, taxiways and runways at Suvarnabhumi airport.

The inquiry, headed by Tortrakul Yomnak, a board member of Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT), concluded the damage was only on the surface.

Adm Theera said he was relieved the airport did not have to shut down completely.

"The findings have reassured us to a certain extent," the minister said.

"Although the examination did not cover all parts of the airport and it was only an initial inquiry, it was done by engineers and specialists.

"The closure, if necessary, will be partial, not a complete shutdown.'

He agreed with AoT chairman Gen Saprang Kalayanamitr's that foreign experts should be hired to study the damage at Suvarnabhumi and recommend the correct methods of repair.

He said the repairs would inconvenience passengers at the airport, which is already reaching full capacity after opening on Sept 28. The transfer of some Suvarnabhumi flights to Don Muang would be helpful, Adm Theera said.

The government has already announced Don Muang's reopening as Bangkok's second and back-up international airport to facilitate the repairs.

Confirming that the return to Don Muang would be voluntary, the minister said some airlines had already expressed their intention of moving to Don Muang.

He would compile a complete plan for the flights being shifted back and propose it to the cabinet later. The cabinet meeting did not consider the airport issue yesterday.

Deputy Transport Minister Sansern Wongcha-um will discuss the matter with airline representatives tomorrow. Mr Sansern said any return would be permanent.

Thai AirAsia and Nok Air favour the plan as they find Don Muang more suitable for domestic passengers.

A source at the Transport Ministry said the return of low-cost airlines and domestic flights would cut the load at Suvarnabhumi by 20-25%.

Udom Tantiprasongchai, chief executive officer of Orient Thai Airlines which runs low-cost One-Two-Go, maintained the re-opening of Don Muang appeared to favour Thai AirAsia. Other airlines might be less willing to return to the old airport, possibly leading to protests.

THAI president Apinan Sumanaseni said the airline would not move back to Don Muang because it had invested a lot at Suvarnabhumi.

AoT identifies at least 10 problems

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.

To je teda fakt síla! - 14.3. letím do BKK - těšil jsem se na supermoderní nepřekonatelné letiště a tady se mi berou iluze
Tak uvidím, kam nakonec doletím. Jako problém vidím to, že mám nakoupené lokální letenky (s Air Asia do Krabi a s BKK Airways do Siem Reapu) a budu se bát abych dojel na správné letiště - když budu v BKK poprvé, tak bych nerad někde bloudil. Doufám, že alespoň pošlou nějaké info na mail v dostatečném předstihu kdyby vyměnili Suvarnabhumi za Don Muang

nemej strach...zatim zadna katastrofa....par obrazku muzes videt v trip reportu zmeposledni cesty. Don Muang se otevre ale nejdrive nekdy v Aprilu a jeste se nevi kdo presne tam bude letatale jiste je ze Thai a Air Asia zustanou v Suvarnabhumi.....

uzij si to...letiste je zajimave ale bohuzel ne zas tak super... ale treba compared jinumievropskym letisrtim takjeobrovskeamoderni...

uzij si cetu do thajska a pozor.... vedra opravdu zacinaji,,,,

Prislo to drive nez jsem cekal... takze cestujici do Thajska po 25.03.2007... musite davat pozor kam letite.... poslu info zda se pridaji vice spolecnosti....

Four airlines will move operations back to Don Muang


Nok Air yesterday launches ‘Nok Hunt’ to recruit more cabin crew as part of the low-cost carrier’s plan to expand its flights ahead of the move back to Don Muang.

Four airlines will move some or all of their operations from Suvarnabhumi Airport back to Don Muang following the Cabinet's approval yesterday to reopen the old airport as a domestic hub on March 25.


Thai Airways International (THAI), Nok Air, One-Two-Go and small private airline PB Air plan to transfer a combined 71 flights per day to Don Muang by its relaunch date.


The three smaller airlines will operate only at Don Muang but THAI will still use both Bangkok airports. coz bude absolutni bordel....

The flag carrier's international routes will be served out of four airports across the country - Suvarnabhumi, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi.

Udom Tantiprasongchai, CEO of budget airline One-Two-Go, said that being based at Don Muang would help increase passenger convenience and reduce operating costs.

Domestic passenger traffic is expected to increase gradually, he said.

His airline will spend Bt40 million on an IT system, ground service and new staff for Don Muang.

Patee Sarasin, CEO of THAI's budget airline, Nok Air, said it planned to add five Boeing 737-400 aircraft to its current fleet of seven this year. Its operations would also be increased from 70 flights per day to 100 flights.

When Nok Air inaugurates its first international flight next quarter, it will leave from Suvarnabhumi bound for Bangalore.

"We are determined to be the No-1 low-cost airline and we are ready to compete with Thai AirAsia," Patee said.

Nok Air ran an average cabin factor of 75-80 per cent last year and earned a net profit of Bt100 million. It has served 2 million passengers since its emergence three years ago.

Nok Air yesterday kicked off its third recruitment drive, called "Nok Hunt 2007", to prepare for network expansion. The airline needs 34 new cabin crew this year to supplement the 160 it has now.

To MS743: díky za přání i za informace. Tak jestli to chápu správně, tak Don Muang bude v provozu až od 25.3. a jenom pro domestic. Odlítám 26.3. s Thai do Mnichova, takže doufám, že se to týhle linky týkat nebude. S Nok Airem letím 19.3. takže snad taky Suvarnabhumi. Na vedro jsem připravenej

Ještě mě napadá, jak chtějí proboha Thai Int´l řešit domestic přípoje pro cestující z mezinárodních linek? To je budou vozit autobusama na Don Muang?

Orus-x píše:Ještě mě napadá, jak chtějí proboha Thai Int´l řešit domestic přípoje pro cestující z mezinárodních linek? To je budou vozit autobusama na Don Muang?

zatim informace je takova...takze by mel byt jen Domestic alestejne radeji ze par dni pedem zeptat a jet na letiste s predstihem... moc neduveruji "info systemu" tady v Thajsku...ale na 99.9% to bude jeste Suvarnabhumi....

jinak Thai chtely nejake busy ale je to zhyralost.... donMuang je na severozapadea Suvanabhumi je Jihovychod a doprava Thajska neni obzvlast setrna.... stava se ze me trva autem na 1 krizovatce 20 az 30 minut a hned u dalsi to same.... je to to nehorazne.

argumentuji tim ze i jine velka mesta maji dve letiste ale neuvedomuji si ze jedine v BKKmuzes jet autem 50 min nebo pesky 15!!!!!!!!!!!

bude tot chaosaleneni tu nicim "neobvyklim"/// je to proste po Thajsku

ale nechci strasit.... jako turista se t ibude strasne libit... klidne napis a zajdeme na drink jestli budes mit cas..jinak vedrovedro vedro...zacaloparit uz pred 14 dni..alejeste neprsi ale myslim si ze to prijde brzy..... tak faktor MAX a uzijsi to


jestli letis s THAI tak si vem kameru a udelej nam hezky trip report..... Thai vetsinou jsou nejdrazsiale nejak jim singapore hodne trapi takse snazeji alespon z Evropy delat dobre ceny...doPHY s niminikdy nepoletim jelikoz mivzdy hazou !1500EUR

MS743: z Prahy maji tarify priserny, ale z MUC byli nejlevnejsi. V podstate o 200 Kc levnejsi nez Royal Jordanian a i kdyz Jordance mam rad, tak by to znamenalo o hodne casu dele na ceste. Navic mam Miles and More takze neni co resit.

MS743: Omlouvam se ze otravuji s dotazem, ale: nemas zkusenosti s ubytovanim primo na Suvarnabhumi - s nejakym levnejsim hotelem na letisti / u letiste? Vim jen, ze je tam nejaky drahy Novotel. 19.3 vecer priletim z Krabi a hned druhy den rano letim do Siem Reap takze se mi nechce hledat neco ve meste. Diky moc za pripadnou radu - i kdyz je mi jasny ze jako "local" jsi tam asi nikdy nebydlel..

zatim nabizi naletiste ubytovani jen Novotel a ten je drazsi nez Oriental ale let iste je blizko Bang Na coz je velikanska aglomerace...musi tam necobyt ..poptamse kolem a snad neco najdu....

fotky a detaily s tim co je problem s letistem.....
http://www.bangkokpost.com/110307_Persp ... pers33.php

Zlata Ruzyne!
DISTRESS IN THE TARMAC

Because the airport site is located in the floodway of Bangkok's eastern suburbs, it requires both effective flood protection and drainage systems to avoid problems caused by water seepage into the sand blanket under the airport's taxiways and runways, writes PROF WORSAK KANOK-NUKULCHAI

Last October, when the first sign of rutting was spotted in five of the six taxilanes and in one taxiway at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, the Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT) assigned a team of experts to join the preliminary investigation. The investigation revealed that the damage was caused by the premature failure of asphalt base course due to the separation of asphalt binder from aggregate surface in the presence of moisture, commonly known as "stripping". It was quite evident from the milled damage area that water seeped from the sand blanket underneath the cement-treated base (CTB) through expansion joints.

The key question is: How, and also how long, has the water been trapped in the sand blanket?

This article intends to provide technical facts to the readers who want to understand what really happened to the airfield pavement of this brand new airport.

Figure 1: Typical distress in the taxiways and taxilanes.

WORRYING OBSERVATIONS

On 27 October 2006, about 2-3 weeks after the official opening of the airport, the first signs of distress were spotted at several locations in the taxiways and taxilanes, in the form of rutting, rutting with shattering and split, and rutting with hairline cracks (figure1). Since then, a similar pattern of failure has developed heavily in five of the six taxilanes and along the east parallel taxiway. Although both runways are still in good structural condition, plastic deformation of the asphalt wearing course was observed near the takeoff position. The extent of the damage is summarised in the table above.

Suvarnabhumi airport covers an area of 20,000 rai (3,200 hectares). In its first phase, the airfield serves its hourly 112 flights with two runways, six taxiways and six taxilanes. The tarmac consists of three layers of asphalt concrete, namely the base course (23 cm thick), the binder course (6 cm thick), and the wearing course (4 cm thick). Underneath are four layers of the cement-treated base (CTB), 18 cm. thick each, sitting on top of the sand blanket (approximately 80 cm thick) left over from the ground improvement process.

Excavation to test the connectivity of the trapped water.

Plastic deformation was observed on the wearing course at the turn-around segment of the taxiway leading to the takeoff position of the runway (Figure 2). This location is normally under maximum load when the plane takes off with a full load of fuel. The high shearing stress that causes plastic deformation was imposed by braking, accelerating or turning traffic. Plastic deformation is greatest at high temperatures, especially for the AC 60/70 binder grade used in this case. The occurrence of the plastic deformation at this location is therefore a common phenomenon and only routine maintenance is required to repair this type of distress. Aside from this surface distortion, both runways are in good structural condition.

Initial investigation was made by coring the asphalt concrete pavement at a diameter 100 mm throughout its 33 cm thickness from the damaged areas (Fig. 3). The following observations can be made:

- All core samples from damaged area show evidence of asphalt stripping at the base course, a typical effect of soaking water, while core samples from undamaged areas show good condition.

- The water had infiltrated into and confined in the asphalt concrete base course for a long period. Thus, the base course has been immersed in and impaired by the water.

- As a result of asphalt stripping, asphalt binder was separated from aggregate surface, leading to premature loss of strength and stability of the base course.

- The load of the aircraft had then impaired the failed asphalt concrete pavement, causing rutting on the surface.

Based on the core samples, laboratory tests have indicated the correct job mix and aggregate gradation of the asphalt concrete material. This was also confirmed by a separate test at the Highway Department.

To expose the cement-tested base (CTB) for visual inspection, an area of asphalt concrete pavement was milled at the damaged area of the taxilane. It was evident that there was no sign of damage or subsidence in the CTB. However, traces of water seepage were clearly observed (Fig 3) along the rim of the expansion joints in the CTB. This evidence of seepage further hinted that a large quantity of water might still be trapped in the sand blanket.

On January 31, a test pit (Fig 3) was dug on Taxiway T11, where damage was found to be extensive. After the excavation went through CTB and exposed the top surface of the sand blanket, water seeped through the sand immediately until the water level reached about 20 cm above the sand blanket (or roughly at +0.0 MSL). The water stayed at that level even when attempt were made to clear the water.

Interestingly, to prove that water in the sand blanket is fully confined with no connection outside, a deep excavation was made nearby, but outside the pavement area. After the excavation, the dug hole was completely dry. No sign of water from the sand blanket had receded into this empty hole.

Meanwhile, Highway Department experts have tested the samples of sand and CTB from this test pit and reported that all materials tested have met the standards.


Figure 2: Surface deformation of the runway.

HOW WAS THE WATER TRAPPED?

Based on the official report of the investigation committee appointed by Airports of Thailand Public Company (AOT), the following reasons had been given for the trapped water:

1. Runoff of rainfall water was collected and retained within the airport compound in the pockets of sand used to fill fishponds, swamps and waterways prior to the airport construction. Water from this source might find its way into the sand blanket.

2. Surface water spilled from the drain age canals, during the flooding period, over the top soil around the unpaved neighbourhood into the sand blanket.


Figure A1: Natural and consolidated soft clay deposits.

3. Surface water once trapped underground was not able to escape due to the lack of a subsurface drainage system. This was aggravated by the blockage of culverts and other underground structures.

4. Based on soil boring records, thin sand layers may exist originally within the soft clay layer at a level about 10 metres deep. Some of these sand layers may cross path with the leftover PVD, thus allowing running shallow ground water to seep upward into the sand blanket.

On the last point, some geotechnical experts argued against this possibility. At the end of the PVD preloading, the extra surcharge consisting of crushed rocks was removed. Thus, it is no longer possible for water to move up to the surface through the PVDs against the hydraulic gradient and against gravity at the end of consolidation process.


Figure A2: Consolidation process of soft clay under the airfield pavement.

In addition, there is hydraulic back-pressure from the trapped water in the sand blanket making it impossible for such hydraulic upward flow to occur.

Because the airport site is located in the floodway of Bangkok's eastern suburbs, it requires both effective flood protection and drainage systems. The aim is to prevent flooding from flash floods, as well as to drain away rainwater in the catchments of the airport compound. The design of the polder system includes the perimeter polder dike, internal drainage system, two pumping stations and a perimeter road (Fig 4).

Basically, the internal drainage system for runoff water consists of:

1. The unlined primary canals and reservoirs both with the bed at -1.90 m MSL. Based on the design criteria, water level in the primary canals and reservoirs must be maintained not higher than -1.40 m MSL.

2. The secondary canals with concrete linings. The canal bed of the secondary canal is -1.15 m MSL. It is designed to be dry except during the raining.

The primary and secondary canals are interconnected by ditches to ensure that the runoff water from the pavement area will flow under gravity towards the two pumping stations located at the south corners of the site. In the operating manual, water in the primary canals and reservoirs must always be controlled at the pumping stations to ensure that the water level is maintained at -1.40 m MSL or lower.

With the design assumption that no rain water runoff can leak into the sand blanket, no subsurface drainage system exists to systematically drain trapped water from the sand blanket. This might be a weakness in the design criteria of the airfield pavement.

Figure 3: Illustration of milled pavement in the taxilane T11, a core sample of asphalt concrete, trace of the water seepage at CTB joint and the test pit.

WHAT'S NEXT?

In its press release issued on 15 February 2007, the Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT) strongly recommended that, similar to a first-aid treatment, trapped water should be drained out urgently to minimise the potential spread of cracks on taxi lanes, taxiways, and even on runway. This immediate action should be carried out with the consent and cooperation of all concerned parties including the project management consultants, the designers and the contractors.

Alternatively, the AOT should seek temporary protection from the court to implement the required first-aid treatment without damaging its rights under the contract. Meanwhile, it was reported that the AOT plans to commission a team of international experts to carry out an in-depth technical investigation in order to recommend long-term remedies.

Prof Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai, PhD is dean of the School of Engineering & Technology at the Asian Institute of Technology. He is also vice-president of the Engineering Institute of Thailand and a member of the Royal Institute.



Illustration of taxiways and taxilanes.



GROUND IMPROVEMENTS

Suvarnabhumi Airport compound is situated on formerly agricultural land, fish farms, swamps and waterways. A thick deposit of soft clay is found over 10 metres deep, with 100-120% water content, on top of medium stiff clay and stiff clay with water content of 50-90% and less than 50% respectively.

Soil is a multiphase system, comprising a solid phase (soil particles) and a fluid phase (air and water) called the pore fluid. For soft clay, the higher the volume of the fluid phase, the weaker and more compressible the soil mass. Therefore, any reduction of water in the pores of the soil, which decreases the volume of the soil mass (Figure A1) and subsequently increases the particle-to-particle contact, increases the strength of the soil and reduces its compressibility at service stage.

To be suitable for airfield pavement, pore water in the soft soil must be squeezed out to result in water content around 80%. Thus, the soft clay is transformed into medium stiff clay. This consolidation process can be accelerated by a modern technique using Prefabricated Vertical Drains (PVD).

PVD is a plastic tube core wrapped in a filter jacket, made of non-woven polyester or polypropylene geotextiles or synthetic paper. PVDs drain soil by squeezing out pore water, a process that can be accelerated by adjusting the spacing of PVDs. In this process, water flows a lot more quickly horizontally towards the drain and then vertically along the drains towards the permeable drainage layer at the top. The step-by-step procedure of consolidation using PVD is illustrated in Figure A2.

MS743: mas tam soukromou zpravu