Situated in Racha Thewa, in the Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan province, 30 km (19 mi) east of Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) serves up to over 65 million passengers each year. The site has 360 check-in counters and 130 passport control checkpoints to handle passengers traveling to destinations all across the continents.
A decade and a half of service
Meaning Land of Gold, Suvarnabhumi Airport opened on September 15th, 2006, to conduct limited domestic flights before taking on all international operations from Don Mueang (formerly Bangkok International Airport), which it inherited its IATA code from, on September 28th. During the September interim, Suvarnabhumi used code NBK, and Don Mueang, which remains a low-cost hub, now uses the code of DMK.
The new airport was formed to replace Thailand's ever-busy Don Muang, which could not be expanded. The project started in 1996, and construction began in 2002. The total projected cost of the program was THB120 billion ($2.7 billion), but actual costs have been estimated to amount to over $4 billion.
After previous delays, the airport was scheduled to open in June 2006, but the start date was pushed back due to ICAO testing and validating cracked runways. Roof fabric also needed to be repaired.
A project of former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was exiled at the time, Suvarnabhumi opened its doors in fall 2006. The opening didn't get off to a smooth start, with the Financial Times reporting that passengers were waiting for up to two hours for bags, with one traveler not ever receiving their baby stroller! This was because the baggage system's automatic system failed, and cases had to be handled semi-manually.
Yearly pre-pandemic growth
Nonetheless, the airport managed to ease through the growing pains, handling over 800 flights per day by 2015, far more than the initial capacity of 600. It was the natural move to transition to a new airport. The numbers speak for themselves. In 2009, BKK served over 40 million passengers. A decade later, it served over 15 million more people.
Hong Kong and Singapore provide the most activity for BKK. The two cities saw over three million Bangkok-based passengers handled each in 2019. They also dealt with the most cargo to and from Thailand's capital.
With passenger numbers rising yearly before the health crisis, a major expansion project has been mulled over. A $236 million program is set to begin this July, with contractors finalizing a bidding process.
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A key gateway
All in all, the airport has been a major focal point for Thailand since its opening. It's also seen its fair share of drama over the years, including occupation by the People's Alliance for Democracy on November 26th, 2008, which saw thousands of passengers stranded, and all flights grounded until early December. Additionally, last year, a motorist drove a car through the gates and onto the runway area during operating hours.
At the end of last month, it was announced that SpiceJet will connect three Indian cities with the airport. There are also opportunities emerging with Saudia. These services join a host of well-connected operations to the hub. With recovery on the cards this year, BKK will be keen to welcome tourists back to its country.
What are your thoughts about Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport? Have you passed through the site since it opened in 2006? Let us know what you think of the airport in the comment section.