Back in the old airport

Saturday, 25 Aug 2007 | Journal

When I first came to Thailand, the plane landed at Don Mueang airport. The last time I had been there was when I landed at the airport on September 6th, 2006 when I was moving here. Shortly after, the new Suvarnabhumi airport was opened. The new airport was a project that had been in the works for quite a long time and was actually already known to be too small in the very near future when it opened. The old airport closed when Suvarnabhumi opened.

For a while anyway, because a few months after the new one opened it already started showing signs of wear and tear. The new airport has been struggling with criticism from the very first day (or actually even before) it opened and for a while there, the daily newspapers had a new thing to report on every day. The one I will never forget was the article which explained why the runway had started cracking under the weight of heavy planes after only a few weeks of being used - it was the result of poor quality work, due to the workers ‘being tired’. Only in Thailand.

After a long and public debate, it was decided to re-open Don Mueang. I think it was actually those cracks that lead to the decision of re-opening the old airport to reduce the load on the new one. Despite it having been re-opened for a long time, I had never been back. Despite being a frequent flyer with an average of about two trips per month, all those flights left from Suvarnabhumi. But today I had to fly up to Chiang Mai for a meeting and my flight up left from Don Mueang.

It is closer to my home, but because it was Saturday with the Jatujak market not far from my home, traffic was hell and so it took me as long to get there as the other airport. Being back at Don Mueang was kinda nice. Recognizing things I had noticed on the first arrivals in Thailand, those first impressions that will stay with one forever. Breezing through procedures and having to walk the whole of 100 meters from the taxi to the plane. It being a much more ‘Thai’ experience than the big business Suvarnabhumi airport - which, as much as I like it, is just another one of those glitzy shopping mall airports. It was all a very pleasant experience.

If you fly within Thailand, Don Mueang I think is a much better option than Suvarnabhumi. No high tech, big bucks, glossy shine. But real soul.

(or maybe i’m just being sentimental for no reason)