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Thai Cabinet Agrees to Reopen Old International Airport

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The Thai Cabinet has agreed to re-open Bangkok's 92-year-old Don Muang airport while repairs are made at its new and problem-plauged multi-billion-dollar international airport.

Government officials said Tuesday that the old airport will resume service on March 25. Its services, however, will be limited to chartered and domestic flights.

The move was approved to help ease flight congestion at Suvarnabhumi International Airport while workers repair cracks on runways and taxiways.

The plan is a slight change from a government decision earlier this month to shift both international and domestic flights to the old airport by March.

Don Muang has been closed since the new airport opened in September. Thai officials originally hoped it would transform the country's capital into Southeast Asia's leading air hub.

Suvarnabhumi airport has experienced a host of problems since it opened.

In addition to cracks on its tarmac, the airport is also dealing with problems of corruption and a shortage of toilets.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.

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