A score of flights at Suvarnabhumi Airport and Don Mueang International Airport were delayed this morning following the implementation of new aviation rules.
Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Executive Vice President Tinnagorn Choowong said that at 7am today, the revised area navigation (RNAV) rules, standard instrument departure (SID) and standard terminal arrival route (STAR) was implemented with approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand.
The first flights to land at the airports were subjected to the new rules – Bangkok Airways Flight BKP100 from Samui to Suvarnabhumi Airport and Thai AirAsia Flight AIQ3036 from Phuket to Don Mueang.
Tinnagorn said in a statement that due to the new procedure as well as weather condition at Suvarnabhumi Airport, the arrival/departure frequency was extended from 2 minutes to 4 minutes to allow officers to familiarise with the new rules. This led to a delay in a number of flights during 8am-9.45am by one hour on average.
At Suvarnabhumi Airport, 48 fights were affected and at Don Mueang, 34 flights were delayed.
“The situation returns to normal at noon today. We are confident that the adjustment in the RAV SID/STAR procedure and increased familiarisation of aviation officers as well as pilots would allow both airports to operate at their full capacity,” Tinnagorn said.
- www.nationmultimedia.com Thailand