The government's ambition to turn Thailand into the region's aviation hub suffered a hit after a recently-built roof and walls at Don Mueang airport's new passenger hall collapsed after a fierce storm hit the city on Monday.
A combination of heavy rain and strong winds caused the hall's guttering to give in, tearing parts of the wall with it. Luckily, the hall was still closed due to the Covid pandemic.
The 207.1-million-baht hall was completed in June 2020, in the hope of easing overcrowding at the airport's international passenger terminal, which is mainly used by low-cost carriers.
Following the incident, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob formed a panel chaired by deputy permanent secretary of transport, Pisak Jitviriyavasin, to look into the matter.
The panel, he said, will examine the hall's construction blueprints and contracts, and appraise the damage from the storm. Airports of Thailand (AoT) president, Nitinai Sirismatthakarn, said the inspection will take between 15 and 30 days.
The panel will also ensure the repairs are carried out in line with engineering standards specified in the contract, he added.
While prompt, the official response has done little to ensure the public of the safety standards at AoT-run airports. Instead of running an internal probe, the minister should have invited independent safety experts to assist in the investigation.
The incident happened at a government-run public facility, so any probe into the incident must be carried out by unbiased experts to ensure transparency.
Indeed, AoT, which hired the contractor and approved the construction blueprint, must be able to justify why it approved the work, which has been proven to be substandard. Authorities need to look into the contractors and AoT officials who approved the structure's design.
AoT and the Transport Ministry have insisted the storm was to blame for the cave-in. Not only is this shocking, it is a gross oversimplification that will raise doubts about safety standards at other AoT-run infrastructures.
Amorn Pimanmas, president of Thai Structural Engineers' Association (TSA), questioned if the structure was really strengthened as required by existing building codes, which mandate public structures to be reinforced to withstand more intense storms.
Prof Amorn urged authorities to inspect other structures built before 2007, as well as large roadside billboards to ensure they are up to standard.
Monday's storm won't be an isolated case. Authorities and developers must keep in mind that climate change is making rainstorms more intense and more frequent.
As such, they must work together to ensure all public structures are up to date, or upgraded to properly deal with the threat.
Over the past several years, the government has poured a lot of money into building newer, flashier airports, complete with convenient amenities and fancy retail spaces.
Monday's incident serves to remind authorities that when it comes to building public structures, it should've first and foremost, prioritised safety.
