Caretaker Labour Minister Somsak Thepsuthin caused a stir at Suvarnabhumi Airport by triggering an alarm at a metal detector during final checks yesterday.

Security staff searched his body and found the suspicious object, which Somsak had intentionally hidden inside his shoes to test the security system.

"I feel safe at the airport," he declared after the inspection.

Somsak's stunt marks a desperate attempt to reassure the public that Bangkok's new airport, scheduled to receive paying passengers for the first time today, is ready for operation.

Today, hundreds of paying passengers will be welcomed to Suvarnabhumi. The government arranged the test flights to put to rest concerns that the airport would not be ready for commercial traffic two months from now.

Six Thai airlines - Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, One-Two-Go, Nok Air and PB Air - will conduct 20 domestic flights in and out of the airport.

Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is scheduled to be on the first flight by Thai Airways International, which will leave Don Muang at 7.29am and arrive at Suvarnabhumi at 8.09am.

The test flights will be important in indicating whether the new airport, worth Bt155 billion, will be ready for commercial flights on September 28. It was earlier reported that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) had questioned the

readiness of Suvarnabhumi by identifying numerous risks.

However, caretaker Transport Minister Pongsak Ruktapongpisal said yesterday: "I am satisfied with the preparation of all agencies."

He said the document on risky areas was an internal release by the airport's consultant. "We welcome the advice and we will make the amendments," he said.

Pongsak added that only 5 per cent of operations still had minor problems. Otherwise, the airport is ready to take off.

But the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents 250 airlines, said the test flights would do little to prove whether the airport was ready to handle normal commercial traffic, according to Agence France-Presse.

"It is normal for trial flights to be conducted before an airport is opened to demonstrate the integrity of the procedures. However, it does not test the airport's ability to handle heavy traffic," Albert Tjoeng, an IATA spokesman in Singapore, told the news agency.

Customers seem undaunted by safety concerns, as more than 80 per cent of the seats available on the test flights have been booked. Airlines are giving customers special souvenirs such as hats, pens, photographs and certificates.

Wallop Bhukkanasut, Thai Airways International's executive vice president, said about 70 per cent of seats had been booked for the first flight. Passengers will receive a certificate and special boarding pass.

ML Nantika Worawan, PR director for Bangkok Airways, said its flight to Koh Samui was fully booked, while more than 80 per cent of seats on flights to Trat and Phuket had been bought. Every seat was sold at Bt1,599 and passengers will receive a yellow hat as a gift.

Udom Tantiprasongchai, chief executive officer of One-Two-Go, said the airline was providing two flights from Don Muang to Suvarnabhumi because of demand. Passengers will receive a certificate.

Srihaphan Chumsai na Ayutthaya, deputy chief executive officer of Nok Air, said its Don Muang-Chiang Mai-Suvarnabhumi flight was fully booked, while 100 seats of the 150 available for the flight from Suvarnabhumi to Hat Yai had been bought in advance.

Yothin Pamornmontri, director of PB Air, said about 70 per cent of seats had been bought for its flight at a special rate of Bt2,006.

Tassapon Bijleveld, chief executive officer of Thai AirAsia, said the low-cost airline had inspected service sites at the new airport. "I believe we should not have any service problems when we open for commercial flights on September 28," he said.