Thousands of anti-government protesters have been leaving Bangkok’s two airports and allowed the first flights since taking over the facilities last week. Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) has been closed to passengers for over a week, though the protesters began allowing empty planes to leave recently. The first flight back into Thailand’s major international airport flew in from Phuket. The reopening of the airport will allow some 230,000 trapped tourists and travelers to leave the country. The airports authority indicated it would still be several days before the airports are back to full speed, with international flights and regular schedules.
The first international flight is due in from Rome., and Serirat Prasutanond, Suvarnabhumi’s manager, predicted a speedy return to normality after that. “I have strong confidence that everything will be OK and back to normal in two days,” he said.
The main airport is Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), which is also called the New Bangkok International Airport. It opened in 2006 and serves international air traffic, while the old airport, called Don Mueang International Airport, now serves primarily domestic traffic and the country’s air force. Both airports were closed due to the protests and the government was using an air base for limited evacuations of international travelers.
The protesters were upset over the government of Somchai Wongsawat and wanted him to resign. The country’s main court removed the prime minister this week for election fraud, causing the protesters to end their demonstration and occupation of the airports.
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