The fast-track plan to build a third runway at Suvarnabhumi airport for emergency purposes appears to have suffered an initial setback, with authorities insisting the undertaking first undergo an environmental impact assessment (EIA).
Suvarnabhumi needs an additional runway to address growing congestion.
The Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (Onep) has told Airports of Thailand Plc that an EIA must be approved before construction of the 2,900-metre runway can start, said AoT executives.
Onep's reaction was reported to an AoT board meeting last Wednesday, when it was found that executives of the state-controlled airport operator used the term "third runway" in talks with Onep officials, which technically subjects the project to an EIA.
The AoT board has been hoping to get construction off the ground quickly without being required to conduct an EIA with its lengthy approval process by defining the proposed runway as an "emergency" facility whose length would not exceed 3,000 metres.
The proposed runway would not be used full-time but instead function to relieve the huge capacity strain for take-offs and landings when either of the two existing runways at Suvarnabhumi is down for maintenance or faces an emergency shutdown.
But Onep officials insisted an EIA is compulsory even if the proposed runway is less than 3,000 metres.
Furthermore, Onep said a health impact assessment (HIA) will also be needed if the length exceeds 3,000 metres.
The standard length for a major hub airport such as Suvarnabhumi is 4,000 metres.
AoT chairman Sqn Ldr Sita Divari expressed frustration with the reaction and blamed AoT executives for not being able to put the message across to Onep.
He instructed AoT management to hold another round of discussions with Onep by emphasising the proposed runway's emergency nature.
If Onep still insists on an EIA, then AoT will opt for applying to build a full-scale runway up to 4,000 metres long instead, commissioning both an EIA and an HIA simultaneously to speed up the process.
Sqn Ldr Sita earlier said he believed construction of the proposed runway was covered by the EIA that was approved for the first stage of Suvarnabhumi's development.
AoT estimates the costs of building the reserve runway at 10 billion baht, significantly lower than the 14 billion baht required for a full-length third runway.
The company wants the runway, scheduled to be built on land that was already prepared for construction years ago, up and running in two years.
AoT is pushing the proposed runway as a means to address Suvarnabhumi's congestion, which looks to be worsening.
Passenger throughput is expected to reach 53 million this year, far surpassing the airport's annual capacity of 45 million travellers.
