Bangkok Airport Not Re-Opening on November 29th

UPDATE – Bangkok Airport to reopen 4th December. Nov 29: Despite claims by airport officials a couple of days ago, Bangkok Airport will not be re-opening on November 29th. The airport remains occupied by political protesters and Thai police have still made no move to evict them.

The current situation looks like the police will move in against the protesters tonight… but then that seemed likely last night too. Studying The Nation newspaper’s Breaking News section, there is still little going on from the government side to end the protest and re-open the airport.

The BBC reports that the Thai government does not have the support of the Thai army, and that the Thai Prime Minister is refusing to leave Chiang Mai. This would seem to be why there has been no concerted attempt by the police to evict the protesters. There is also the fact the police are somewhat chastened by deaths they caused during street protests in October and do not want to appear heavy-handed in their handling of the airport situation.

Even if the police move today, the airport will not be up and running until at least 24 to 48 hours after any eviction. The airport authorities and staff need this amount of time to ensure the airport systems are running correctly.

Therefore the earliest Bangkok Airport will re-open is now December 1st. It’s likely to be longer than that, but as ever, it’s still difficult to say when at the moment.

Other airports in Thailand remain open and functional, as listed here – How to fly to Thailand without going to Bangkok.

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