King Power International (Thailand), the duty free operator at Suvarnabhumi Airport has used the local press to hit back at critics who have accused it of not fulfilling its obligations to Airports of Thailand.

In The Nation newspaper, Group Chairman and Ceo Vichai Raksriaksorn has come out strongly rejecting assertions that the retailer had not paid a Bht.2bn ($58.7m) advance to Airports of Thailand (AOT).
In the newspaper, Vichai said the suggestion was incorrect and the company had already paid the money when the contract was awarded back in March 2005 and it had the receipt from AOT to prove it.
Vichai's comments follow those from a National Legislative Assembly subcommittee which claimed that KPI still owed the money and he said he was angry that the accusation was causing concern amongst some of the retailer's suppliers and he mentioned Gucci and Chanel in particular who are both scheduled to open boutiques at Suvarnabhumi in early February.KPI has also been accused of over expanding its shop areas and obstructing passenger walkways.
But Vichai told The Nation that KPI's contract actually says that its retail area should cover no less than 5,000sq m. He said that it was therefore perfectly acceptable that the company's shops now cover 9,498sq m and this is being reflected in increased payments to AOT from Bht.1.26bn a year to Bht.2.34bn ($36.9m to $68.6m).
Vichai also told the newspaper that the company's commitment was hardly in question, since it has spent a total of Bht.20bn ($587.1m) on its facilities in the new airport so far.