Thailand's Transport Minsiter has admitted that some airlines were afraid to use Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi Airport after several flights scheduled to land were diverted to another airport, reported yesterday.
Debris was found on a runway and the diversions came amid rising concern about the condition of taxiways on which scores of cracks have been found.
"This has started to affect the country's image and some airlines are afraid to use Suvarnabhumi due to safety fears," said Transport Minsiter Theera Haocharoen as she inspected the affected taxiways.
This Nation said this was the first time an official had publicly acknowledged the problem of the damaged taxiways.
Since opening last September, the airport has been dogged by operational problem including a faulty baggage handling system and slow check-in services.
2007-01-27 17:56:46 · 1 answers · asked by Ghost 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
When major projects are undertaken by any government, they are awarded to contractor's based upon submitted bids. These bids must cover all construction, and may include the opportunity for renegotiation in the case where cost overruns occur.
The problem is that the low bidder is almost always awarded the project. Can you imagine... the most complicated projects being given to contractors who undercut pricing or are willing to work for less profit. That poses real problems, because once the construction starts, the only way to cover the loss is to put less expensive materials and use cheaper labor. That means errors, significant delays, and a myriad of problems. It also means shoddy construction and substandard completion.
The Suvarnabhumi Airport is in this type of trouble. It used contractors who were less qualified, and who were unable to bring this project to a quality completion. Then the government tries to point the finger of blame at everybody else. It is a shame, but this is a sad fact of life. Let's hope that people don't lose their lives as a result of this construction.
It reminds me of a quote from the movie Armageddon, where they are about to take off and Rockhound says a line about sitting on a million pounds of fuel in a rocket built by the lowest bidder, which is a variation of an actual radio transmission by Mercury astronaut quote attributed to John Glenn: "As I hurtled through space, one thought kept crossing my mind: Every part of this capsule was supplied by the lowest bidder."
2007-01-27 18:17:10 · answer #1 · answered by The Answer Man 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋