The Pattaya airport is open and planes flying

Badly overcrowded, but the old military airport is still functioning

By Suzy Size

Castelgandolfo, the residence of Suzy Size outside Pattaya, suffers of noise pollution these days. No, they have not opened a loud Karaoke bar just besides her somewhat pretentious residence, airplanes are the source, many are flying over the Suzy Size chateau during the last three days. Curious as always Suzy drove out to U-Tapao, the navy owned military airport about half an hour from Pattaya, to see what is going on. During the Vietnam War B52 bombers took off from here every day, releasing their deadly fright over the then enemy. In recent years it has been nearly deserted, just catering for a few Bangkok Airways flights to Samui and Phuket and some Russian charter planes which made it an International Airport.

Suzy was stopped at the gate by one of those gorgeous Isaan hunks and was asked what she was up to? Of course she did not tell him the truth, that she wanted to go with him back to his barracks, but pretended she wanted to go to the airport and fly somewhere. No problem to get there for an old farang lady, who unfortunately was not molested by the other guys there lying in the shade behind some barb wired fences either. Suzy had taken Sukhumvit Road to U-Tapao and had not experienced many buses. But now driving up to the terminal many buses were on their way in and out, they came and left from here via Route 331 which is much quicker than driving through Pattaya. Outside the terminal stranded tourists waiting for a flight were sitting on plastic benches in the shade or lying in the grass. The terminal – deserted in normal times – was totally overcrowded. A huge, huge queue went through the whole building towards the x-ray machines, it surely must take hours till you arrive there.

The schedule for arrivals showed planes of Bangkok Air, Thai Airways, Malaysian, Sky Star, Aeroflot, Thansaero, Asiana, Cathay, Austrian (from Kuala Lumpur) and Eva Air. The schedule for departures added Air Berlin to the list of airlines and destinations of those planes leaving U-Tapao were Samui, Phuket, Kuala Lumpur, Moscow, Hong Kong, India and Germany. Suzy was interviewed by a Japanese TV team because they thought she was a real passenger, but of course she was as fake as ever. She inquired at the counter of Bangkok Airways about possible flights to Phuket which was still open at the moment and very International indeed. Your heroine could have flown the same night at 2.10 am and then after a day on Samui a day later to Phuket for 6875 Baht. Somebody in urgent need to leave Thailand these troubled days could have done it that way, but Suzy is not so troubled. On the way out Suzy looked at the suspiciously new looking price tags for taxis, a car to Pattaya was expensive 1000 Baht, the one to Bangkok 3500 Baht.

Obviously a little windfall for the taxi companies, we are in Thailand here.

Ps. When Suzy went back there today (Saturday) to take some pictures, she could not even drive in again. When she saw all those cars and buses blocking the road for about one kilometer up to the terminal building, she turned around and is now watching the situation from Castelgandolfo again, still slightly obstructed by airplane noise.