Residents soar in opposition to Chiang Mai Airport’s extended hours plan

Chiang Mai International Airport‘s proposed plan to extend its operating hours is facing mounting opposition from the locals of the Mae Hia subdistrict. The contention stems from the lack of compensation for the damages inflicted by the airport’s activities over the past five years.

Meena Chankaew, president of the Nimman Noradee Neighbourhood, voiced the concerns of the residents whose properties have been detrimentally impacted by the airport traffic. She announced the residents’ intention to request the Administrative Court’s intervention in halting the plan for 24-hour operations, set to start tomorrow.

Residents expressed grievances about the damages caused by excessive noise and vibration resulting from overhead flights. However, the Airports of Thailand (AoT) has yet to address these issues.

Living adjacent to the airport, Meena revealed that she had received roughly 20,000 baht over the past five years in compensation for property damages. However, no solution to the ongoing issue has been proposed.

During a meeting yesterday with Mae Hia residents, AoT representatives and Chiang Mai Airport officials vowed to implement measures to address the locals’ concerns.

They proposed to establish a fund for compensating damages caused by extended operating hours, conduct hearing tests for residents in affected areas, and install sensors for noise measurement from the airport. Additionally, they promised to open a shop within the airport to display products created by residents.

Despite these assurances, Meena criticised the lack of clarity on how affected residents can access the proposed compensation fund. She also raised the demand for AoT to conduct a fresh environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the 24-hour operations. The original EIA, approved in 2005, had only allowed operations until 1am, reported Bangkok Post.

In related news, Chiang Mai International Airport is set to operate on a 24-hour basis starting tomorrow, November 1, a move prompted by the government‘s Quick-Win economic stimulus policies, Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit revealed. Read more about this story HERE.

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