Thailand's flood-hit Don Mueang Airport to reopen

Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport is ready for reopening on April 1 after the flood crisis, Flying Officer Anirut Thanomkulbutra, Airports of Thailand (AoT) president, said on Monday. An estimated cost of 20 million baht (639,180 U.S. dollars) is needed for repairs and maintenance of the infrastructure at the airport. The president said that the surface of both the eastern and the western runways have not been damaged and are still strong, as verified by the Department of Highways. Two airlines, Nok Air and Orient Thai, which operated commercially at Don Mueang, have moved to temporarily run their services at Suvarnabhumi Airport since late October when the floods encroached. AoT on Monday held a Big Cleaning Day event at its headquarters in Don Mueang district after the area had been under water for about six weeks.