Suvarnabhumi Airport sorry after train breakdown causes 30-minute delay

Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok issued an apology following a breakdown of the automated people mover (APM) train today, February 23, resulting in passengers being stranded in the underground train station and a 30-minute delay.

The driverless APM train operates between the new concourse, Satellite 1 (SAT1), and the main passenger terminal. Today marked the first malfunction since the concourse and APM train were soft-launched in September last year.

Various Thai media outlets reported that the APM train malfunction left many passengers en route to the main terminal stranded in the underground station. Each passenger was gradually escorted to the ground floor and provided coach buses to reach the terminal. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

In a press conference held this afternoon where the Director of Suvarnabhumi Airport, Kittipong Kittikachorn, disclosed that the issue occurred around 9.45am due to an electric system failure.

Kittipong explained that the airport is equipped with an uninterrupted power supply but the backup power source was temporarily closed for testing by the airport’s engineers.

According to Kittipong, the APM train was out of operation for approximately two to three hours but has since resumed normal operation. The breakdown affected four flights, causing a delay of about 30 minutes. However, the airport successfully resolved the situation, ensuring no passengers missed their flights.

The President of the Airport of Thailand (AOT), Kirati Kitmanawat, apologised for the inconvenience and expressed his appreciation to Thai Airways for supporting the airport with the coach buses. Kirati assured the public that AOT would conduct a thorough investigation into the issue to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The incident raises concerns as previous system failures were reported on the Airport Rail Link (ARL) train, which connects Suvarnabhumi Airport to central Bangkok. Apart from breakdowns, the train tends to be crowded during rush hours, prompting passengers to plan accordingly to avoid missing their flights.