Speculation that the opening of Bangkok's new $4bn Suvarnabhumi International Airport yesterday would be chaotic has been put to rest with only minor problems reported and Thailand's Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and

Transport Wanchai Sarntoontat telling local media that he was ‘80% happy’.
Various passengers canvassed by local media said they were mostly happy with the new facility, although there were several reports of computer crashes at check-in areas, a few leaks in the roof, some terminal signage problems and delays in the delivery of baggage to the carousels on some flights [welcome to the world of airports-Ed].
All of which would appear to be a good result considering the sheer size of this new facility – 563,000sq m (6.06m sq ft) – and the logistics nightmare that airlines had faced 24 hours earlier with the transfer of all of their major infrastructure from the old Don Muang airport – an exercise not helped by an overnight storm.
One interesting observation echoed to local media by several passengers and airline staff members was that the terminal building looked extremely busy, giving rise to concerns that the planned phased expansion at Suvarnabhumi will need to be on schedule. An increase in the passenger user tax from Bht.500 to Bht.700 ($13.30 to $18.65) from next February will doubtless assist in helping to fund this.