Tourism Authority Inspects Preps For International Airport's Full Operation

SHOTLIST
1. Wide of Thai cultural dancers with puppets welcoming guests at Suvarnabhumi airport
2. Mid of dancers than tilt down to dancers' bare feet
3. Tourists taking photos of cultural dance
4. Wide of crowd at departure area
5. Wide of airline staff talking to tourists
6. Mid of tourist posing with Thai wearing mask
7. Wide of passengers queuing at check-in counters at departure area
8. Mid of airline staff at check-in counters
9. Airport security personnel with dogs
10. Mid of departure board displaying check-in information
11. Mid of Danish tourist, Mollen Hans, waiting for connecting flight to Bali
12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mollen Hans, Danish tourist:
"Yeah, they're fully operating but you know the flight to Bali is cancelled, so I have to wait."
13. Wide of Swedish tourist, Johan Paylin, with trolley full of bags
14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Johan Paylin, Swedish tourist:
"We were supposed to fly to Phuket this morning, but when we came to the airport in Stockholm, they told us that the flight was going to Bangkok. So now, we are waiting for a connecting flight to Phuket."
15. Mid of passengers at check-in counter
16. Airline staff saying goodbye to passengers
17. Mid of airport personnel holding apology banner
18. Tourist posing for photograph with Thai performers wearing traditional costumes
STORYLINE:
Thai cultural performers welcomed passengers on Friday at Bangkok's main international airport, as officials prepared to restore full operations after anti-government protesters forced a week long closure of the country's two main air arteries.
Around 300-thousand people were left stranded during the protests.
Airport authorities say that Suvarnabhumi international airport, Thailand's main international gateway, is expected to be fully operational on Friday for passenger services, including check-in and immigration.
However some passengers complained of cancelled and delayed flights.
One tourist from Sweden was trying to get a connecting flight to Phuket but was told the flight was instead going to Bangkok.
Thailand's national carrier Thai Airways, has already restarted operations at the airport and Singapore Airlines are expected to start operating on Friday.
Many other airlines are expected to follow suit.
The smaller domestic Don Muang airport was functioning normally with Thai Airways flying all of its scheduled flights within the country.
The People's Alliance for Democracy protest group ended its siege on Wednesday after a court ruling ousted Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and disbanded the top three parties in the ruling coalition for committing electoral fraud.
Although Somchai and other party leaders were banned from politics from five years in Tuesday's court ruling, other members of his coalition are preparing to join new parties and choose a new prime minister, a move that could once again prompt the protest alliance to take to the streets if the next leader is seen as a reincarnation of the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's government.
On Thursday, the country's battered political parties tried to come up with a permanent candidate on Thursday to replace the ousted prime minister after naming Deputy Prime Minister Chaowarat Chandeerakul as caretaker leader.


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