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According to AoT President Air Marshal Chana U-sathaporn, the proposal was sparked by an increase in traffic at Suvarnabhumi airport.

Air Marshal Chana admitted that although passenger numbers at Suvarnabhumi did not increase, the number of aircraft landing at the airport continues to grow.

He claimed the proposal to return flights to Don Muang was not the AoT's way of resolving the noise pollution problem around the airport. Noise pollution has been one of the AoT's major headaches following complaints by scores of residents near the airport. The AoT has disbursed financial compensation to some of those affected by the problem but it is far from being resolved.

The re-opening of Don Muang to both domestic and international flights is expected to be discussed with the Transport Ministry and proposed at a cabinet meeting next month.

Don Muang, Bangkok's only major international airport for more than a century, was closed last year following the opening of Suvarnabhumi. It was then re-opened for non-connecting domestic commercial flights in March. Don Muang is currently only used by three airlines - Thai Airways, Nok Air and One-Two-Go Airlines.