Bangkok International Airport
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Bangkok_International_Airport,_terminal_1_arrivals-KayEss-2.jpeg
Bangkok International Airport (or also Don Muang International Airport) (Thai ท่าอากาศยานกรุงเทพ, also Don Mueang, Thai ท่าอากาศยานดอนเมือง) is an airport in Bangkok, Thailand. The airport was officially opened on March 27th 1914, although the field had been in use earlier. The main field before the opening of Bangkok International Airport was the Sa Pathum airfield.
Bangkok International Airport is an important hub of Asia and the hub of Thai Airways International. The airport has the IATA airport code BKK and ICAO Airport Code VTBD.
Bangkok International Airport serves the most air traffic in Thailand. As of 2004 more than 80 airlines serviced the airport and over 30,000,000 passengers, 160,000 flights and 700,000 tons of cargo were handled at this airport per year. In 2004 it was the 14th busiest airport in the world by passenger volume.
Vibhavadi Rangsit Road is the main route linking airport with downtown Bangkok. The Uttaraphimuk Elevated Tollway, running above Vibhavadi Rangsit, offered a more rapid option for getting into the city and connects to Bangkok's inner city expressway network.
Besides travelling by road, train is other choice for travelling to Hua Lamphong Station in the center of town. The railway station is across the highway and linked with the airport by walkway bridge.
Construction on Suvarnabhumi Airport started in 2002. When completed, all international traffic is expected to go the new airport and Don Muang will become domestic only.
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History
The airport was the second in Thailand (after Sa Pathum airfield, part of Sa Pathum Horse Racing Course). The first flights to the airfield were on March 8 1914 and consisted of the first aircraft of the Royal Thai Air Force. In 1911 Thailand sent three officers to France to train as pilots and they brought back to Thailand four Breguets and four Nieuports.
History of disasters and near-disasters
On November 29, 1987, Korean Air Flight 858, which was flying from Abu Dhabi International Airport in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates to Don Muang to Gimpo Airport near Seoul, South Korea, exploded over the Andaman Sea after a bomb planted by North Korean agents exploded. Everyone on board died.
On May 26, 1991, Lauda Air Flight 004, which was headed to Wien-Schwechat International Airport in Vienna, suffered an in-flight deployment of the thrust reverser on the No. 1 engine after taking off from Don Muang. Among the 213 passengers and 10 crew, there were no survivors.
If Project Bojinka had not been discovered after a fire in Manila, Philippines, one or more aircraft owned by a U.S. carrier/s flying to this airport would have blown up over the Pacific Ocean on January 21, 1995 as part of the project's first phase.
On August 22, 1999, Mandarin Airlines Flight 642, which was landing in Tropical Storm Sam at Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong on a route from Don Muang to Hong Kong, rolled upside down on the runway. The plane came to rest upside down. 3 of the passengers died.
Terminals
Bangkok International Airport has 3 Terminals.
International Terminal 1
(Will transfer to Suvarnabhumi Airport in 2005).
- Check-in Rows 1-4
- Check-in Row 5
- Check-in Row 6
- Check-in Row 7
- Check-in Row 8
International Terminal 2
(Will transfer to Suvarnabhumi Airport in 2005).
- Check-in Row 9
- Check-in Row 10
- Check-in Row 11
- Check-in Row 12
- Check-in Row 14
- Check-in Row 15
Etihad ,Valuair and Air Paradise also flies to this airport terminal.
Domestic Terminal
See also
External links
- Bangkok International Airport Homepage (http://www.airportthai.co.th/airportnew/bia/html/)fr:Aéroport international de Bangkok