19SAB14 SUVARNABHUMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BKK IATA

Safety Bulletin

19SAB14 16 December 2019

Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK) Please note: This bulletin supersedes 18SAB04 of the same name.

This Safety Bulletin is a reissue of IATA Operations Notice (ON 002/2019) First Issued: 25 February 2014 Revised: 5 December 2019 Expiry date: 31 May 2021

This reissued Operational Notice alerts airlines of the on-going risk to aircraft operations at BKK airport due to soft ground conditions affecting the taxiways, taxi lanes and aircraft stands. Soft ground conditions or “soft spots” have been encountered and reported by flight crews and ground service providers at BKK since at least 2008.

Airports of Thailand (AOT) have previously advised that the root cause of the pavement failures are deficiencies in the asphalt materials used in pavement construction and the height of the water table below the airport. These factors have resulted in soft spots and failures on heavily transited areas well below the expected pavement life.

Short term mitigation measures implemented by AOT include: a. temporary and semi-permanent pavement repairs;

b. a 24 hour on-call pavement team for quick repairs to minimize disruption to operations

AOT currently have an interim repair plan while awaiting the design of a permanent pavement repair scheme which is expected in Q4 2019.

Member airlines are invited to note the following:

• Alert flight crews of the existing hazards related to push back and taxi operations at BKK, and to apply appropriate operating procedures to mitigate the associated risks;
• Flight crews are strongly encouraged to report all soft spot occurrences immediately to ATC; AOT personnel will be dispatched to investigate and assist with recovery as needed;
• Airlines are also advised to follow up with a formal report to AOT safety (suvarnabhumisafety@airportthai. co.th) for tracking and further action, with copies to IATA ASPAC (aspacsfo@iata.org) and BKK AOC (secretary@aocbkk.com).

IATA: This notice should be used for information only and is based on data available at the time of issuance. Operators remain responsible for their operations and any decisions related to this notice. ©2019 The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) provides this data for information only. Pilots should follow their company’s guidance and procedures in all cases. Reproduction of this publication is encouraged for flight safety purposes. It may not be offered for sale or used commercially. All reprints must credit IFALPA.