Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi Airports have shifted their takeoff and landing orientations due to the arrival of cooler air and changes in wind directions. From this month until February 2023, the winter runway instructions are in force.
According to Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Ltd. (Aerothai), the direction of takeoffs and landings has been switched at Don Mueang Airport. Planes will now use Runway 03 for takeoffs and landings, rather than Runway 21.
Winds have shifted and are now blowing strongly from the northeast, with speeds of 20-30 kilometers per hour, accounting for the change. Aerothai assured that this is par for the course throughout the winter. So, Bangkok residents will be able to see planes landing at Don Mueang Airport when they come in low over the city. This situation will persist till the beginning of February.
As a result of the shift, flights will now pass over the heart of Bangkok on their way to Don Mueang airport from the south. When the northeasterly winds die down to less than 18 kilometers per hour, Aerothai will revert back to having planes approach from the north. According to the airport’s civilian air traffic control authority, planes coming in from the north can land safely as long as the winds remain below this threshold.
At the airport at Suvarnabhumi, pilots will soon be able to modify the direction in which their planes take off and land. Planes will now fly south to north before taking off.
Photographs taken on a commercial flight as it flies in from the south have been shared on Twitter. Passengers may now have a bird’s-eye view of Bangkok’s central business district before touching down, thanks to the plane’s revised landing orientation. Alternatively, when planes arrive in the conventional manner, passengers are treated to spectacular views of Pathum Thani below.
