Investment in developing airports in Thailand
The Government will invest a huge amount of money in developing 39 airports in Thailand in order to increase their capacities and keep up with the growing number of passengers.
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The airport expansion is also in response to the policy of developing Thailand as an aviation hub in this region. The country’s airports are divided into three groups.
The first group involves three major airports, namely Suvarnabhumi in Samut Prakan, Don Mueang in Bangkok, and U-Tapao in Rayong.
The Government will spend 320 billion baht developing this group of airports in the next 10 year, so that they will be able to accommodate an increasing number of passengers, from 78 million to 160 million passengers a year.
The second group involves 10 regional airports, such as Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen, and Phuket. The Government will invest 70 billion baht in developing this group, which is expected to increase the number of passengers they can handle from 35 million to 89 million annually in the next 10 years.
The third group involves 26 provincial airports, with an investment of 16 billion baht. The development of this group is expected to increase the passenger capacity from 17 million to 28 million a year.
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha earlier explained that said that airport expansion would also cope with aviation growth and liberalization in the ASEAN, as well as promoting connectivity in this region.
It is part of efforts to upgrade Thailand’s transport infrastructure, which is set to connect with other countries, such as CLMV, which comprise Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam. They will also help enhance Thailand’s competitiveness and encourage foreign investors to invest more in the country.
