The Transport Ministry will not seek Cabinet approval for the reopening of Don Muang Airport until next week, when the action plan for the old airport is expected to be ready for screening.

Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen yesterday decided to withdraw the proposal from the Cabinet meeting today, citing the lack of an action plan.

Theera said his ministry would discuss the plan in greater detail with relevant bodies, including Airports of Thailand (AOT), the Department of Civil Aviation and Thai Airways International (THAI). "With no action plan for using Don Muang Airport, I will not raise it with the Cabinet," he said.

He also insisted that resumption of services at Don Muang Airport could be completed in 45-60 days if the Cabinet gave its approval next Tuesday.

Theera said the biggest factor in the lack of preparedness was that AOT did not have enough staff to work at the old airport. AOT cancelled contracts with outsource companies last September after Suvarnabhumi Airport opened.

The ministry had originally planned to seek Cabinet approval at today's meeting, so that related agencies and airlines could act promptly.

After meeting with relevant agencies and airlines last week, the ministry planned to reopen Don Muang within 45-60 days, in order to reduce air traffic at Suvarnabhumi 30 per cent and pave the way for repairs at the new airport.

Several domestic airlines have agreed to operate domestic flights out of Don Muang, including Thai Airways International (THAI), Orient Air and Bangkok Airways.

Operating at two airports would increase their operating costs, but the airlines hope that in the long run, Don Muang's lower operating fee can boost their profits.

Meanwhile, a Transport Ministry source said FedEx Thailand and DHL Thailand, two major logistics companies operating at Suvarnabhumi Airport, would not open second branches at Don Muang.

"Don Muang will be the operational base of low-cost airlines that deal mainly with passenger transportation. As the volume of domestic cargo shipment is low, it's not necessary for logistics companies to have second outlets at Don Muang," the source said.

The source added that logistics companies could transport goods from Don Muang to Suvarnabhumi by road.

The AOT board on January 11 approved a plan to move domestic flights from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Don Muang on a voluntary basis.

ACM Chalit Pukbhasuk, Air Force chief and deputy secretary of the Council of National Security, said confidence in Thailand would not be affected if local airlines moved flights to Don Muang while repairs were being made at Suvarnabhumi.

Chalit said the issue needed to be tackled carefully but that if it really was necessary to move back, then the Royal Thai Air Force was prepared to provide security at Don Muang.

Minor runway repairs are still needed at Don Muang but should not pose a problem for domestic flights, because the damage is slight, and the terminal facilities can still easily cater to passenger demand, he said.

Chalit said Don Muang could cater to as many as 37 million passengers annually, while the number of passengers had risen to 41 million yearly.

The new airport has two runways and can cope with 45 million passengers yearly, while Don Muang has only one runway.

The relevant officials will have to discuss in detail plans allowing domestic flights to switch to Don Muang, he said.

THAI president Apinan Sumanaseni said the airline planned to assign part of its staff to Don Muang Airport, with flights to Chiang Mai, Krabi and Phuket served by both airports and a passenger shuttle service between the two provided.

Thai AirAsia CEO Tassapon Bijleveld said his airline could not move only its domestic flights back to Don Muang, because its domestic and international flights shared the same aircraft.