Blackout threatens hub status of Suvarnabhumi

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Blackout threatens hub status of Suvarnabhumi

Thousands of travellers hit, airlines seek payout

Published: 23 Jun 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

Bangkok's reputation as a key regional air hub could face a major threat following Thursday's breakdown of an airport control tower which affected nearly 50 flights.

The simultaneous breakdown of both the main and back-up power supplies paralysed the radar system which guides flights through Suvarnabhumi International Airport for an hour.

A total of 49 aircraft were affected - 21 take-offs and 15 landings were delayed, while 13 flights were rerouted or returned to their departure point.

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pquinlan
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Discussion 41 : 23 Jun 2012 at 13.2841
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"Our reputation has been tainted and trust in the reliability of the Thai system has diminished to a certain extent," said Marisa Pongpattanapun, chairwoman of Airline Operators Committee (AOC), a coalition of global airline managers at Suvarnabhumi.

You think so?
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onlyme
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Discussion 40 : 23 Jun 2012 at 12.1040
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bkposter, the airport opened on Sept.16, 2006 and yes he was in power at the time and everybody knows he rushed it. Regardless of that it's good news that no one was injured, only inconvenienced. Backup systems should never fail and, alas, although we will never get a straight answer you can be pretty certain it was maintenance related.
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drsmith
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Discussion 39 : 23 Jun 2012 at 12.0739
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In Thailand, there is never any action when there is no money involved. Same state of affairs with this situation, the floods and the tsunami buoys running out of batteries. The officials in charge of doing their jobs, are in fact, not doing anything at all. One can only surmise they are using their time at work to look for other shady sources of money, instead of doing the job they are getting paid to do. The FAA never allows a single point of failure, meaning backup systems can never be on the same system as the primary. But a shortcut was taken during the installation of this system probably due to corruption. Safety is never paramount in Thailand, making the most money is.
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abbub
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Discussion 38 : 23 Jun 2012 at 12.0738
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Its the baker in Dubai. Without the fugitive's paying off people to sabotage the country Thailand would be fine.
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jimbly
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Discussion 37 : 23 Jun 2012 at 11.5837
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Thailand excels at incompetence. Not Like darkest Africa where things are in chaos and education systems are lacking but among countries that have established education systems and have some history of familiarity with modern technological advances. It's the one thing that makesthte country so dear to our farang hearts. Don't worry about the good reputation; it wasn't there in the first place.
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Renaissance
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Discussion 36 : 23 Jun 2012 at 11.4236
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I wonder if the new back-up power supply will be a diesel generator. "No budget left! Sorry!"
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porky
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Discussion 35 : 23 Jun 2012 at 11.1235
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Thank goodness there were no collisions in the air or on the ground!!
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jck
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Discussion 34 : 23 Jun 2012 at 11.0134
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Questions for the Operations Management of Suvarnabhumi: Are all the emergency systems and especially the UPS back-up for main power failure at Suvarnabhumi regularly and frequently tested to ensure they are functioning correctly, and if so why was a defective UPS not detected. As a secondary question please advise if major runway repairs are normal after only 6 years of operation and how this level of major repair compares with other international airports.
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khunbill
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Discussion 33 : 23 Jun 2012 at 10.5033
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Doesnt surprise me at all. What's going to be on front page tomorrow?????
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saparod
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Discussion 32 : 23 Jun 2012 at 10.4632
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"Our reputation has been tainted and trust in the reliability of the Thai system has diminished to a certain extent"

What a statement!
Fact is that in Thailand you have to expect the unexpected thanks to the lack of abilities (or willingness to perform) of our politicians, law enforcement agencies and authorities who suppose to check on safety standards. - and thanks to the media which is reluctant to investigate the trues on all problems our country faces and also publish the trues!
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