Thailand: New airspace plan 'will double flights'

Thailand's airspace capacity will double from 1m to 2m flights per year if it successfully introduces a new one-way aircraft route plan in 3 years' time, the new Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai) president Somnuk Rongthong says. Thailand has been using several overlapping lanes in its airspace, which means flights going in opposite directions have to share airspace simultaneously by travelling at different altitudes. This has led to numerous delays because each plane has to wait for the previous aircraft to pass to a safe distance first. Somnuk said the planned system would involve planes travelling to Thailand's regions -- such as the North or Northeast -- using a single, large one-way route, and branching off the main route to their specific destinations. <br/>