Residents are protesting a plan to extend Chiang Mai International Airport's operating hours, saying many have yet to be compensated for damage caused by flights taking off and landing at the airport over the past five years.
According to the president of the Nimman Noradee Neighbourhood, Meena Chankaew, residents whose properties have been affected by traffic to and from the airport will ask the Administrative Court to stop the plan to allow round-the-clock operations at the airport starting on Wednesday.
She said many residents have complained about the damage caused by the noise and vibration from flights, but Airports of Thailand (AoT) has yet to come up with a solution to the problem.
Ms Meena, who lives next to the airport, said over the past five years she has received about 20,000 baht in compensation for damage to her property, but nothing has been done to resolve the situation.
At a meeting with Mae Hia residents on Monday, AoT representatives and officials from Chiang Mai airport promised measures to address local residents' concerns.
They agreed to set up a fund to compensate residents for any damage that may be caused by the extended operating hours, offer hearing tests to local residents in affected areas and put up sensors to measure noise from the airport.
However, local residents want the AoT to carry out a new environmental impact assessment (EIA) on 24-hour operations, as the original EIA for the project, which was approved in 2005, only allowed operations until 1am.
