Asia Airports News
Asia-Airports.com - The Unofficial Airports Guide
I only just found out that the domestic departure tax was raised at most Indonesian airports on 1 December 2010. The new fee for departures from Bali – Denpasar and Makassar is now 40,000 Rupiah (about US$ 4.50), up from 30,000 Rupiah. The tax for Yogyakarta departures is now 35,000 Rupiah.
Other airports are probably up as well. I’ll be updating the site as I confirm the new rates.
Surprising as it may be, given the many construction delays that plagued the Airport Link, everything about the operational start-up of the train service linking Suvarnabhumi Airport to the city seems to be on schedule. In an announcement released today on the government information site, MCOT, the State Railway announced that check-in services for flights will be available for the Airport Express service at the Makassan City Terminal, starting from 4 January 2011.
The airlines to offer check-in services are Thai Airways, Bangkok Air and Lufthansa. More airlines are said to be interested, but don’t expect the budget carriers to be among them. The new services mean that you can check your luggage and receive your boarding pass at the city terminal, then board the train for the short ride to the airport, where you can proceed directly to your departure gate. The express service will cost 150 Baht, effective on 4 January 2011 as well.
The announcement also noted that at present, the City Line service carries approximately 40,000 passengers a day, while the Express service carries 800 to 900 people per day. Having used the City Line a few times, I can vouch for the fact that it gets very crowded, between penny-pinching travelers and students from the university next to the airport.
Lastly, the release stated that a connection between the Petchburi subway station and the City Terminal is planned.
Two news reports by the Associated Press on Bloomberg this week reported that a South Korean company had been awarded a contract to build and manage a new airport to service travelers to the Angkor Archaeological Park. The new airport will be located 40 kilometers east of the main temple complex, and will presumably replace the existing small Siem Reap Airport, which is just outside the park. The planned project will be able to accommodate large long haul airplanes, enabling direct flights from Europe and North America for the first time. Construction will start some time in 2011 with completion planned around 2015.
The original report appeared on Bloomberg on 15 December. In a follow-up on December 16, it was further disclosed that the contract includes construction of a new city and industrial park. Follow the links for more information.