BANGKOK (NNT) - The Ministry of Transport is pushing for the expansion of Suvarnabhumi International Airport to prepare for more air travels.

 

The decision came after a prediction by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that the number of air travelers would reach 65 million people between 2024 and 2025.

 

Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob made the announcement after a recent meeting on the matter, deciding to go ahead with the expansion in the north wing of the airport.

 

Currently, the Airports of Thailand (AOT) and the Office of the Attorney General are negotiating with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to conduct a feasibility study on increasing the capacity of Suvarnabhumi terminal buildings. The study is expected to commence later this month and will complete in October.

 

Minister Saksayam added that the matter has also been discussed with the Comptroller General’s Department about the legal aspect of the study.

 

Previously, IATA had assessed the airport’s Level of Service and recommended the expansion in the north wing of the local and international passenger terminals.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2022-01-18

 

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Didn’t they build a big new, unused section just a couple of years ago?

2 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

Didn’t they build a big new, unused section just a couple of years ago?

Think you're correct, but got to keep the contracts going, public money to private companies.

Need to build a pie in the sky TAT projector first and don't forget to plug it in this time ???? 

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The decision came after a prediction by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that the number of air travelers would reach 65 million people between 2024 and 2025.

I thought the master plan was to have quality not quantity tourists .........................LOL

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The Ministry of Transport is pushing for the expansion of Suvarnabhumi International Airport to prepare for more air travels.

I'd rather see the expansion of regional airports north, south & west so that tourists have a more direct flight opportunity to a chosen destination, instead of connecting from BKK

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

that the number of air travelers would reach 65 million people between 2024 and 2025.

..provided the pandemic is over, the IATA should add before releasing the number of travellers

still dreaming......

65mln passengers per year is still within BKK capacity.

DMG with previous 20mln is underused.

Also utapao is being developed into a civilian airport, but also heavily underused. Now there is already a motorway next to it.

There suppose to be a fast rail link connecting all those 3 airports

I.just been through international departures. I know fewer people fly, and now is a good time for maintenance, but how come it's got in such a <deleted> state?

 

Repair the floors, will you please?.And not with bathroom tiles inset into the floor tiles, or grout...Good grief.

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

I'd rather see the expansion of regional airports north, south & west so that tourists have a more direct flight opportunity to a chosen destination, instead of connecting from BKK

How many people are really going to be flying to the regional airports? I cannot imagine many of them becoming standalone tourist attractions.

The original design was that once the mid-field concorse was built you need to expand the oriiginal terminal into the gardens to support check-in, baggage claim, and customs.  This is just agreeing to do it…

Just utilize the potential capacity at Don Muang.

5 hours ago, internationalism said:

65mln passengers per year is still within BKK capacity.

DMG with previous 20mln is underused.

Also utapao is being developed into a civilian airport, but also heavily underused. Now there is already a motorway next to it.

There suppose to be a fast rail link connecting all those 3 airports

Suvarnabhumi was designed with an annual passenger capacity of 45 million. In 2019, before the pandemic, it handled 65 million. 

 

Don Muang was designed for a maximum of 36.5 million passengers per year, and handled 41 million in 2019.

 

I'm not seeing any unused capacity at either place.

 

22 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

Didn’t they build a big new, unused section just a couple of years ago?

SAT-1, the new midfield passenger concourse, wasn't completed until passenger numbers had crashed during the pandemic - technically, I don't think it's even been finally approved and certified to open even as of now - so they've delayed using it until traffic picks up.

 

Bear in mind, though, that SAT-1 is just a concourse. It adds extra contact gates for boarding and alighting passengers, but doesn't provide any additional check-in, immigration, baggage claim, or ground transport facilities. That's some of what the expansion projects (which were foreseen when the airport was originally designed) will help with.

3 hours ago, smutcakes said:

How many people are really going to be flying to the regional airports? I cannot imagine many of them becoming standalone tourist attractions.

Expansion and opportunities will return in the future, now is the correct time to look long term.

5 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Expansion and opportunities will return in the future, now is the correct time to look long term.

Dont disagree in general that if you are going to do upgrade works its best to do them when there will be more limited chaos, i just question that even after travel return to more normal levels where some of these provincial areas will become hot spots, other than locals and foreigners with particular links to those areas. I definitely think their is mileage in upgrading places like Khon Kean, Buriram etc, but some of the other ones i am not to sure. I am sure the Transport Ministry and Sino Thai will agree with you though ????