Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin made a surprise visit to Suvarnabhumi International Airport yesterday morning amid reports of a recent error in the biometric system which threw the airport into chaos during rush hour.
The glitch, a repeat offender, wreaked havoc on automated passport control channels, leaving departing jetsetters stranded and frustrated. Eyewitnesses claim that the Prime Minister’s unannounced appearance was a direct response to this technological turmoil, reports Pattaya News.
The details of the 61-year-old prime minister’s mission and all decisive actions taken have not been released.
Suvarnabhumi International Airport faced significant disruption in the early hours of January 24 when the biometric immigration system malfunctioned, causing delays and a rapid backlog of passengers. Immigration police quickly implemented emergency measures to mitigate the impact on flight schedules.
Suvarnabhumi Airport’s immigration department was thrown into chaos as the biometric system ran into technical problems around 4.30am. Under the chairmanship of Chaiyapruek Rimphadee, head of Immigration Division 2 and spokesperson for the Immigration Office, a swift response was launched to address the dysfunctional system.
There was no announcement as to whether the problems had been resolved.
In related news, the new Chairman of Airports of Thailand (AoT), Police General Visanu Prasattongosoth, has announced an ambitious plan to elevate Suvarnabhumi International Airport to the top 50 global airports within two years. The strategy, unveiled yesterday, 18 January, is part of AoT’s wider initiative to upgrade and increase the capacity of the six airports under its jurisdiction, in response to the expected global revival of air travel in the post-Covid-19 era.
In other news, AOT, which is eagerly awaiting the green light from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), is on the verge of receiving public airport certification for Udon Thani, Buriram and Krabi airports. According to Police General Wisnu Prasatthong-osot, the visionary chairman of the board, AOT will start developing its airports as planned after receiving the certification.
The ambitious plan includes injecting 6.4 billion baht into Krabi Airport, increasing its capacity to accommodate 12 million passengers a year and handling 31 flights per hour.
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