Bangkok's decommissioned Don Muang airport will be re-opened for domestic flights to ease congestion at its new USD$4 billion Suvarnabhumi airport, which has cracked runways, the transport minister said on Monday.

After a meeting with airport officials, Theera Haocharoen told reporters airlines would only move on a voluntary basis, and nothing would happen within two months of cabinet giving the green light -- something it is expected to do next Tuesday.

"The decision to move back to Don Muang was based on a series of problems that have plagued Suvarnabhumi, from cracks on the taxiways to out-of-order aerobridges. I can't tell you now when all the repairs will be done," Theera said.

The operator of Suvaranabhumi, which means "Golden Land" in Thai, said last week there were around 100 cracks in its taxiways and runways which were likely to disrupt air traffic for several weeks as damaged sections are fixed.

The east runway of the airport, which has only been open four months, was closed for four hours on Saturday for repairs, causing 40 incoming and outgoing flights to switch to the other runway.

The army-appointed cabinet has ordered a panel of experts to assess the extent of the problem at the airport, which is designed to handle 45 million passengers a year and which Thailand hopes will ultimately rival Hong Kong and Singapore.