The Suvarnabhumi Airport is located 16 Miles east of downtown Bangkok in the commune of Racha Thewa, the Bang Phli District, and the central province of Samut Prakan on what was formerly a low-lying swamp known as the Nong Nguhao or Cobra Swamp.

Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok commonly referred to as the New Bangkok International Airport is one of two airports next to the Don Mueand International Airport serving the Bangkok, Thailand with international flights. Officially opened in 2006 the airport was planned to serve a small number of domestic flights and all international flights.

The Suvarnabhumi Airport is today the primary hub for the operations of Bangkok Airlines, Orient Thai Airlines, Thai Airways International as well as serving a gateway and connecting point for several international carriers.

Facts About The Suvarnabhumi Airport

• The Suvarnabhumi Airport was named by the King of Thailand and ninth monarch of the Chakri Dynasty Rama IX in reference to the stories of the golden kingdom thought to be located to the furthest extremity towards the east of the inhabited world.
• The Suvarnabhumi Airport was designed by the German-American architect of Jahn Architects Helmut Jahn who was also responsible for designing the US$80 million Sony Center located on the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin as well as the Musseturm in Frankfurt and the One liberty Place formerly recognized as the tallest building in Philadelphia, United States. The roof of the Suvarnabhumi Airport’s main terminal is designed with a rigid structural element and bays vertically anchored at one end to a support to create an appearance of it floating over the concourse below. The idea behind this design was to express the former burden before to drain the airport site before construction could begin.
• The airport has the tallest free-standing control tower of over 430 ft and the forth largest airport terminal consisting of over 6,000,000 square feet.
• A major cargo hub with a total 95 airlines, the Suvarnabhumi Airport is the world’s tenth busiest airport and Asia’s sixth busiest airport handling more than 50 million passengers in 2012. In 2012 the social network and online mobile photo-sharing and video-sharing platform Instagram acknowledged the Suvarnabhumi Airport as the world’s most popular location for photo-sharing.
• Suvarnabhumi Airport code, BKK was taken from the Don Mueang International Airport also known as the (old) Bangkok International Airport (BKK) one of the world’s oldest international airports after it ceased operations of international flights. Today the airport is connected to Bangkok and Thailand’s heavily industrial Eastern Seaboard by way of an intercity motorway network which spans 90 miles known as the Thai motorway network.
• Suvarnabhumi Airport was first opened on September 28, 2006.
• The first flight served by the airport was a Lufthansa Cargo flight number LH8442 arriving from Mumbai.
• The first commercial flight served by the airport was a flight from Japan airlines.
• The first arriving passenger at the Suvarnabhumi Airport arrived aboard a Ukrainian private airline AeroSvit Airlines flight from Kiev, Ukraine.
• The first passenger departure from the airport was also aboard the Ukrainian private airline AeroSvit Airlines to Kiev, Ukraine.
• The first cargo departure from the airport was by way of Saudi Arabian Airlines flight on route to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• In 2007 due to overcrowding at the Suvarnabhumi Airport the Don Muang International Airport was temporarily reopened to accommodate most of the airport’s domestic flights while maintaining high international passenger connections such as flights serving Chiang Mai and Phuket.
• In 2007 due to renovations of the airport taxiways which suffered small cracks, the airport experienced a few delays in arrival flights resulting in several flights diverted to the U-Tapao International Airport operating nearby in Rayong province.
• In 2008 the departure lounge and exits of the airport were closed following an illegal occupation by a coalition of protesters called the National Liberation Alliance against the former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawarta. The protest which involved the seizure of the control left all flights grounded for a short period resulted in the stranding of over 3000 passengers at the airport’s main terminal and a further 350,000 throughout Thailand.
• Suvarnabhumi Airport is plagued by confidence men and petty thieves who pray on tourists in the arrival hall many of whom operate as illegal tour guides and taxi drivers. Efforts to evict these persons form the airport have been unsuccessful due to their strong connections to several criminal groups such as the Boonruang Srisand, Kamman Samruay and Phuyai Daeng. It is rumored that the head of the Pirap gang is related to an executive within the Airports of Thailand while the Phuyai Daeng gang has strong connections to a number of influential civil servants in the Samut Prakan province.
• In 2010 the entrances to the airport building was blocked by over 200 armed men who occupied the parking area of the airport seizing ticket booths and collecting fares from motorists. Security personnel at the airport failed to respond out of an internal conflict with the Parking Management Company contracted to oversee the airport’s parking facilities.

Suvarnabhumi Airport Webcams

The Bangkok Caho Praya River WebCam

The Millennium Hilton Bangkok and EarthCam networks have come together to offer online viewers an exclusive view of Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok. The webcam which offers live streaming shows the Chao Phraya River running which runs through the city surrounded by its many popular attractions which include the official residence of the Kings of Siam since 1792, Grand Palace and the floating market in the Ratchaburi Province of the Damnoen Saduak District west of the airport.

View The Bangkok Caho Praya River webcam.

Bangkok Pattaya Pier Webcam

The Bangkok Pattaya Pier located south of the Suvarnabhumi International Airport is a central feature in Thailand found close to the end of Walking Street in the southern point of Pattaya Bay one of the largest beach resorts in Asia. The Pattaya Pier Webcam offers an exclusive view of the Bali Hai pier located in the heart of Pattaya and serves as one of Thailand’s popular meeting point for tourists.

View Bangkok Pattaya Pier webcam.