BANGKOK, Oct. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — All airports in Thailand, including Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, have not been affected by the floods and are operating as usual.
Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT) has recently enhanced flood-prevention measures at Suvarnabhumi Airport and is working with both the public and private sectors to ensure services will not be disrupted.
Opened in 2006, Suvarnabhumi Airport was designed for continued operation at its location on a low-lying, level plain. According to AOT, the airport features an extensive water management, flood prevention and drainage system including:
- A soil barrier around the airport perimeter, 23.5km in length and 3.0m in height, (recently extended to 3.5m as a precaution), constructed by experts from the Department of Highways
- A drainage canal running parallel to and inside the barrier, 23.5km in length
- 6 reservoirs with water storage capacity of 4 million cubic meters, connected to drainage canals
- 2 water pumping stations located near the southeast and southwest corners of the airport, each with 4 pumps that can drain 12 cubic meters of water per second, or about 1 million cubic meters per day
- In addition, the Water Drainage System of the Royal Irrigation Department has the ability to drain 30 million cubic meters per day from Suvarnabhumi Airport into the sea.
According to AOT’s Acting President Somchai Sawasdeepon, a “Flood Monitoring Center” has been set up at Suvarnabhumi Airport to co-ordinate with officials from Thai and international commercial airlines, Aeronautical Radio of Thailand, the Royal Irrigation Department and Samut Prakan province, in which the airport is located. The officials are monitoring water levels closely and implementing a risk mitigation plan that includes moving equipment not required to be at the airport, such as spare and unused aircraft, to alternative locations.
Given the combined capacity of Suvarnabhumi Airport and the Irrigation Department’s drainage systems, plus other water management and flood prevention measures that are in place, AOT officials are confident the that there is minimal risk of flooding at the airport and it will continue operating normally.