Its a bit confusing that there is more than one thread on this subject. Perhaps the moderators could put them together. I posted this an hour or so ago on the Airlines, Airports and routes forum.
This is a photograph of Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport taken on July 26, 2006 a few weeks before the airport officially opened.
Now, I’m not a civil engineer but it seems to me that even if the level of the airport itself had been raised by 10 – 15 feet (a major landfill operation in anyone’s terms) the lowest part of the of the runway and taxiway foundations (assuming that the hardcore, impacted foundation material and runway sub-structure and top surface was at least 10 feet thick) would have been very close to the water table as you can see. Subsidence would seem inevitable.
There has been much comment, locally and elsewhere, that the airport was rushed into service and opened too early. That related to the terminal buildings and has nothing to do with the runways and taxiways that were already completed. No amount of work (other than a complete rebuild) over an extended period of time until the airport was deemed to be ‘ready’ would change that.
I accept that there are airports around the world that have been built either on or very close to water. London City or the new Hong Kong (even the old Hong Kong) are examples. But look at that photo. Suvarnabhumi has just been laid down on top of an existing swamp! There is no solid substructure (like Hong Kong which began as 2 islands) or London City which was built above existing piers and jetties that had been there for nearly a century.
The latest in the saga here is that the Director has resigned and a couple of lesser individuals have been sacked. Since it was the Director himself who categorically stated that the airport would never close, does that clear the way for closure for real? Interesting.
Keeping Suvarnabhumi open whilst there are severe doubts as to it’s safety will do Thailand absolutely no good at all particularly with the tourist industry reeling from a combination of negative events such as the coup, bombs in Bangkok, the insurgency in the south etc etc.
Re-opening Don Muang for international flights and adding U-Taphao to ease the strain makes very good sense. This will allow the Thais to shut Suvarnabhumi down and set about sorting out Suvarnabhumi once and for all thus creating the prestige international gateway it should have been from the outset.