Don Mueang International Airport
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| Don Mueang International Airport ท่าอากาศยานกรุงเทพ  |
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| IATA: DMK - ICAO: VTBD | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Airports of Thailand Public Co Ltd | ||
| Serves | Bangkok, Thailand | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 9 ft (3 m) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 03L/21R | 12,139 | 3,700 | Asphalt |
| 03R/21L | 11,482 | 3,500 | Asphalt |
Don Mueang International Airport (IATA: DMK, ICAO: VTBD) (or also (Old) Bangkok International Airport) (Thai: ท่าอากาศยานกรุงเทพ, also Don Muang, 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 Don Mueang International Airport was the Sa Pathum airfield. On September 28, 2006 the airport was replaced by Suvarnabhumi Airport. The airport is now only in use for charter flights.
Don Muang was an important hub of Asia and the hub of Thai Airways International.
Don Muang served the most air traffic in Thailand. As of 2005 more than 80 airlines served the airport and over 38,000,000 passengers, 160,000 flights and 700,000 tons of cargo were handled at this airport per year. In 2005 it was the 18th busiest airport in the world and 2nd in Asia by passenger volume.
Don Muang is a joint-use facility with the Royal Thai Air Force's Don Muang Royal Thai Air Force Base, being the home of the RTAF the 1st Air Division, consisting primarily of non-combat aircraft.
Vibhavadi Rangsit Road is the main route linking the airport with downtown Bangkok. The Uttaraphimuk Elevated Tollway, running above Vibhavadi Rangsit, offers a more rapid option for getting into the city and connects to Bangkok's inner city expressway network. Besides travelling by road, there is train service connecting to Hua Lamphong station in the center of town. The railway station is across the highway and linked with the airport by walkway bridge.
Within a month of transferring to Suvarnabhumi, several low-cost airlines asked to move back to Don Muang.[1] Airports of Thailand resisted the move and the government's Department of Aviation rejected the plan.[2][3]
In addition to its current use as a terminal for charter flights, military aircraft and civil aviation,[4] Don Muang might become a hub for aircraft maintenance.[5]
There is a golf course located between the two runways. The course has no separation whatsoever from the runway, and people are only held back by a red light when airplanes land and cross the golf course. From the aerial/satellite pictures below one can see the greens and bunkers quite well.
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[edit] 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.
Commercial service to Don Muang began in 1924. The first commercial flight was an arrival by KLM.
The airfield was used by the Japanese during World War II, and was attacked by Allied aircraft on several occasions.
During the Vietnam War, Don Muang Royal Thai Air Force Base was used as a major command and logistics hub of the United States Air Force.
Before the opening of Suvarnabhumi, the airport used the IATA airport code BKK. After Suvarnabhumi opened for commercial flights, Don Mueang now uses the airport code DMK but still retains its ICAO airport code VTBD.
[edit] History of disasters and near-disasters
- December 25, 1976 - EgyptAir Flight 864, a Boeing 707-300 bound for Bangkok from Cairo, crashed into an industrial area near the airport during a landing attempt. All 53 aboard were killed.
- April 27, 1980 - a Thai Airways BAe 748 enroute from Khon Kaen to Bangkok lost altitude during a thunderstorm and crashed about 8 miles from Bangkok International Airport. All four crew members and 40 of the 49 passengers were killed. [1]
- November 29, 1987 - Korean Air Flight 858, 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.
- 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, one or more aircraft owned by U.S. carriers flying to Bangkok would have blown up over the Pacific Ocean on January 21, 1995 as part of the project's first phase.
- 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.
- September 23, 1999 - Qantas Flight 1, in what was the most serious incident in the airline's famously safe jet aircraft history, saw a Boeing 747-400 overshoot the runway causing significant damage, but no casualties.
- March 3, 2001 - a Thai Airways International Boeing 737-400 (HS-TDC), bound for Chiang Mai from Bangkok, was destroyed by an explosion and fire that occurred about 35 minutes before the Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and about 150 other passengers were to board. Five members of the cabin crew were aboard, and one was killed. Witnesses said they heard an explosion before flames erupted aboard the aircraft. NTSB investigators reported that the center fuel tank exploded followed by the right tank 18 minutes later. The cause for the explosion was unclear. No traces of explosive were found. The center fuel tank is located near air conditioning packs which generate heat, and were running nonstop prior to the explosion.[2]
- April 19, 2005 - a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200ER stopped approximately 194 meters beyond a painted stop line at Bangkok International Airport, and its left wing-tip was clipped by a Thai Airways International Airbus A330-300 taxiing for take-off. Both aircraft were severely damaged. There were no injuries.
[edit] Last flights before the move to Suvarnabhumi
The night of September 27-28, 2006 was the last night of operations at Don Muang airport. The last commercial flights were:
- Domestic departure: Thai Airways TG 124 to Chiang Mai at 10:15pm
- International arrival: Kuwait Airways from Jakarta at 1.30am [3]
- Domestic arrival: TG 216 from Phuket at 11:00pm
- International departure: Although scheduled for Kuwait Airways KU 414 to Kuwait at 2:50am [4], Qantas flight QF302 to Sydney, originally scheduled for 6:00pm, was delayed for more than 9 hours[5] before finally taking off at 3:12am, about 10 minutes after Kuwait [6]. Qantas claimed that QF302 was an extra flight. [7]
However, Don Muang will continue to be used for charter flights.
[edit] Terminals
Don Muang International Airport has 3 terminals. However, terminals 1 and 2 are both located in the same physical building, with the domestic terminal connected to the international terminals through a tunnel.
After the commercial closure of Don Muang, terminal 1 will be used for charter services, terminal 2 will be refurnished as exhibition space (with the former airline offices being rented out to government offices), and the domestic terminal will be closed. There is also consideration to build a US Open-standard tennis court as well.
[edit] References
1. ^ Bangkok Post, All flights must use new airport from Sept 28, Jun 19, 2006
2. ^ Flight International, [8] The airport is presently using the IATA airport code BKK, but Suvarnabhumi Airport will inherit the code BKK from Don Muang after it is decommissioned. Don Muang will begin using the new code DMK. Flyer Talk,[9], Aug 26, 2006.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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