After a long wait, many businesses are finally benefiting from early wagers that locating in the new airport's vicinity would greatly enhance their bottom lines.

When Suvarnabhumi Airport opened in late September, companies had for many years tied their futures to the airport's completion and continuous growth. Persistent delays in the airport's construction, however, left them scrambling to survive while they waited for the new airport to finally open.

However, within months after Suvarnabhumi's September opening, many companies in a wide variety of industries are already reaping the benefits of locating near a global-class international airport.

One sector that has benefited greatly from locating near the new airport has been the housing industry. Industry professionals are saying that housing projects within a 20 kilometre radius from Suvarnabhumi Airport have sold well in the past three to five years as the airport completed its construction.

In the past five years, more than 30 housing projects, ranging from middle-income homes selling for Bt1 to Bt3 million and upper income homes for between Bt30 million to Bt100 million, have sprung up around the new airport. In general, the lower cost homes are located closer to the airport.

Purchasing a home within the vicinity of the new airport has become trendy and popular especially, for young mobile families. In addition, it has become the hot area for international residents who live in Bangkok. As a consequence, many international schools are now thriving in the area.

Samitivej Hospital CEO John Lee says that when young families move into a new housing area they usually look for three basic needs in the area. "They usually look for food markets, schools and hospitals," he said.

The area surrounding Suvarnabhumi Airport is now populated by major international food chains and by many hospitals that service residents of the new homes in the area. Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital and many others, such as Thai Nakarin, have been major benefactors of the new airport's opening. .

"We are targeting 30 new housing projects that have more than 6,000 families and about 20,000 people as our catchment area," said Lee.

This past year, Samitivej Srinakarin has seen its patient numbers skyrocket after more than a decade of stagnation caused mainly by the airport's persistent construction delays.

"We built the hospital in 1997 at the onset of the economic crisis and we struggled while waiting for Suvarnabhumi to open," he said.

However, Samitivej Srinakarin has finally turned the corner and is now major contributor to the hospital group's profits.

"Six years ago we saw less than 100 out-patients per day, now we have more than 800," he said.

More than 80 per cent of Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital's patients are people who have moved into the area in the past decade. "The other 20 per cent are using us because we have finally become a hospital destination in the area," he said.

Although Samitivej Srinakarin has finally turned the corner, Lee said the hospital suffered through the economic crisis and persistent delays in the airport's completion. The group, he said, began construction ten years ago and had to carry the hospital as a liability for many years.

Today, Lee said, the hospital is known for its children's tertiary medical care and as a health centre for adults. "We serve a lot of young families in the area," he said.

The Suvarnabhumi area has become a very international one with many schools and hospitals that cater to young families who are employed by multinational companies.

A major part of Samitivej Srinakarin's clientele, Lee said, are young international families as well as patients suffering illnesses at the airport. "We have several patients a day that come in from the new airport," he said.

To cater to such an international clientele, Samitivej Srinakarin is training all its staff so that the hospital operates as an "international" hospital.

"Everyone here should be able to serve international patients when they come in," he said.

An important aspect of the hospital's training regimen is insuring that everyone can speak a foreign language and, most importantly, be "at home" with foreigners.

"Its an important part of our training and is critical to our future success," Lee said.