Oneworld, one of the biggest airline alliances, has warned that Bangkok risks diminishing its strategic air hub position by pursuing a dual-airport policy.
The alliance, whose 12 current members include British Airways and Cathay Pacific, said Thai authorities' move to revive the old Don Mueang as the capital's second international airport operating in parallel with Suvarnabhumi could backfire, especially from the perspective of flight connectivity.
"Bangkok is well served by one single airport. Any attempt to split it up [with two airports] runs the risks of diminishing Bangkok as a hub and losing connection traffic," said Dennis Tierney, vice-president for membership and customer experience.
If Hong Kong and Singapore did what Thai authorities are pursuing, they would lose the flight connectivity capability they enjoy, he told Bangkok Post in Cape Town, South Africa on the sidelines of the International Air Transport Association's 69th annual general meeting last week.
Oneworld expressed its staunch opposition to reactivate Don Mueang as a full-blown second international airport for Bangkok, a view shared by two other global airline alliances _ the Star Alliance and SkyTeam, which prefer one airport.
Mr Tierney also turned down an overture reportedly made by Thai authorities for Oneworld to shift its base from Suvarnabhumi to Don Mueang.
"Right now, none of our member airlines is interested in relocating," he said, cautioning that splitting Oneworld carriers between the two airports would be detrimental to flight connectivity among member and non-member airlines.
Flight connectivity is a key selling point for Oneworld airlines, which have also made a significant investment in building premium passenger lounges and other flight support facilities at Suvarnabhumi for discerning passengers, he said.
The New York-based executive pointed out that roughly 25% of flight connections at Suvarnabhumi are made with Oneworld members. Another 25% are connected with other airlines belonging to the Star Alliance and SkyTeam, while 30% of flights are connected with Bangkok Airways, also a Oneworld member and which has an extensive domestic network.
Oneworld serves more than 900 airports in almost 160 markets with nearly 12,500 daily departures and carry some more than 440 million passengers a year on a combined fleet of almost 3,250 aircraft.
Mr Tierney said Oneworld airlines are unlikely to be swayed by incentives that Airports of Thailand Plc, the state-controlled airport operator, may extend to airlines for shifting to Don Mueang.
"Our focus is not on cost economy but rather service quality and connectivity, which are important for our member airlines and their passengers," he said.