Airport operator Airports of Thailand (AOT) is set to implement expansion plans in the next 10 years for all of the six major airports it operates in the country, and intends to invest THB220 billion (US$6.8 billion) to see the project through.
AOT president Nitinai Sirismatthakarn revealed that the plan aims to raise the capacities of Suvarnabhumi Airport, Phuket International Airport, Hat Yai International Airport, Don Mueang International Airport, Chiang Mai International Airport, and Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International Airport.
The AOT is expected to spend THB220 billion to complete these projects, confirmed Nitinai, adding that Thailand will be able to accommodate 42.5 million more passengers annually beginning this year once remodeling of Phuket International Airport is completed in June.
The airport operator is also currently expanding Suvarnabhumi Airport, said a report from the National News Bureau of Thailand. The expansion began in 2016 and is expected to be completed by 2021. Once completed, its capacity will be around 45 million to 60 million passengers per year.
With the expansion plan, the six air hubs are expected to accommodate 100 million more passengers by 2025, said the report.
Last year, a total of 133 million passengers passed through the airports operated by AOT.
In related news, AOT reported continued growth in both aircraft movements and passenger traffic from January to November 2017 at its six airports.
The airports served a total of 120.7 million passengers during the covered period, up 9.25% year-on-year. Overall, aircraft movements increased by 5.56% to 758,664.
For the first 11 months of 2017, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport handled 55.2 million passengers, followed by Don Mueang with 34.8 million, Phuket with 15.2 million, and Chiang Mai Airport 9.2 million.
Photo courtesy of AOT
