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Bangkok: Bangkok's flashy new international airport has opened for a handful of domestic and international flights, though a power outage and brief delays raised fresh doubts about its readiness.
An electrical blackout caused computer problems resulting in a 30-minute check-in delay for some travellers on Friday, and phone lines at Suvarnabhumi Airport's call centre were not working.
Full commercial service is scheduled to start on September 28 at the new airport, which will take over most of the traffic from the ageing and overcrowded Don Muang airport, officially called Bang-kok International Airport.
Friday marked the beginning of a gradual shift to the new airport, with a portion of Thai Airways flights and all flights by budget carrier Jetstar now using Suvarnabhumi, the airport said.
Transport Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal ordered an investigation into whether an airport employee might have intentionally sought to cause confusion by cutting off power.
Police said they were interrogating an employee whom security cameras caught turning off a power switch, said Somchai Sawasdeepon, the new airport's general manager.
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