Tickets are selling fast for test flights later this month to Bangkok’s new international airport, with one short flight already sold out, flag carrier Thai Airways International said this week.
About 400 tickets for the 20-minute flight between the new airport and Bangkok’s current Don Muang international airport sold out in the first two days of sales, a company official said.
The airline is also running discounts on one-way flights between the new Suvarnabhumi airport and Thailand’s holiday island of Phuket and its northern tourist spot, Chiang Mai.
Seats on either flight cost 1 999 baht ($52) for economy class and 2 999 baht ($78) for business class.
“Passengers can get a special boarding pass. We are already seeing strong demand for the flights,” the official said, adding that about 1 000 passengers can take part in the test flights on July 29.
Thai Airways and five other Thai airlines — including Thailand’s biggest private airline Bangkok Airways and budget carrier Thai Air Asia — will conduct test flights to the new airport on July 29.
Suvarnabhumi airport, which means “golden land” in Thai, has been in the works for more than 40 years but construction delays and claims of graft have repeatedly postponed its opening.
The government plans a full commercial opening for September 28 but industry officials have said the actual date could be later in the year.
Thailand hopes the $3,7-billion airport, with an initial capacity of 45-million passengers annually, will surpass rivals Singapore and Malaysia as the region’s most important hub.
The new airport will also relieve traffic congestion at Don Muang airport, which currently accommodates 38,5-million passengers annually although it was designed to handle only 36-million.
Suvarnabhumi airport, located about 25km east of Bangkok, aims to expand its capacity to 120-million passengers annually. — AFP