Bangkok (dpa) – Bangkok's Don Mueang airport reopened for business Tuesday after a four-month closure caused by last year's devastating floods. “The first flight took off at 6 am (2300 GMT Monday) for Udon Thani,” Nok Air chief executive Pathee Sarasin said. “The operations of the airport are back to normal.” He said the airport would service about 120 domestic flights per day. Don Mueang, on Bangkok's northern outskirts, was Thailand's first airport, starting as an air force base in 1914 and serving as the international airport from 1924 until the opening of Suvarnabhumi airport in 2006. The airport served domestic routes until it was closed in October due to the floods that caused extensive damage to northern Bangkok and several central provinces. More than 1 billion baht (33 million dollars) was spent rehabilitating the airport after the floods. Senator Pornpan Boonyaratpan was reported Monday as saying the reopening of the airport should have been delayed because of concerns over health issues, particularly air-borne diseases resulting from months of stagnant water on the runways. The Department of Public Health declared the airport safe and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra presided at an opening ceremony. “The (flood) water never penetrated into the building, especially Terminal 1,” Pathee said after flights resumed. “I don't think there will be a problem with health.” BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/XB54j Tags: Airport, Don Mueang, Thailand Section: East Asia, Travel
