Thailand's Transport Ministry announced Monday that it would recommend that some domestic flights using Bangkok's new international airport be temporarily allowed to use the capital's old airport again.
Transport Minister Thira Haocharoen said his ministry would seek Cabinet approval for its recommendation that some domestic flights that are not connecting ones be allowed to use Bangkok's old international airport at Don Muang.
All scheduled commercial airline operations were shifted to the new Suvarnabhumi Airport in September last year. However, flaws in the new facility, including cracks on the taxiways, have threatened to congest air traffic there.
The ministry has ordered the state airport authority, Airports of Thailand PCL, to prepare for the reopening of the old airport, Thira said after the meeting with involved agencies.
The reopening is expected to take place within two months' time, he said, adding that the ministry will officially present the proposal to the Cabinet on Feb. 6.
Thira described the proposal to shift some flights as a temporary measure, and said airlines would have 45 days to prepare for the move.
Deputy Transport Minister Sansern Wongcha-um said the recommendation was spurred by several problems at Suvarnabhumi airport, including the taxiway cracks and safety and security worries, which he didn't specify, inside the airport's buildings.
"I admit that the government opened the airport prematurely. Normally, a new airport needs to be test-run for six months to one year before it opens," he said.
He suggested operating some flights from the old airport could become a permanent measure, because traffic at Suvarnabhumi was busy enough to strain its capacity.
Soon after the new airport opened, and before the extent of the problems there was clear, several budget airlines had suggested that they be allowed to operate at the old airport because of congestion.
Last Thursday, four flights scheduled to land at Suvarnabhumi were diverted to another airport about 200 kilometers (125 miles) away after debris was found on a runway, limiting its use until it could be cleared away.
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