BTS Group looks to revive dormant U-Tapao airport project as it undertakes study tour to Hong Kong

[webfact]

 

By Thanaphum Charoensombatpanich

Keeree Kanjanapas, the chairman of BTS Group Holding Plc (BTS) and the executive Chairman of U-Tapao International Aviation has led a group of people to visit Hong Kong to study the way things are done in the city as the delayed U-Tapao airport starts to breathe life after nearly 3-years of being in coma.

 

The move by Keeree comes after the Cabinet in early November this year approved the plans to expand the airport with 17.77 billion Baht in funding that would see a 3.5-kilometer runway being opened as early as 2024.

 

The redevelopment of U-Tapao is part of the government’s move to keep its pet project Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) moving, although little progress has been made in the nearly 5-years of the launch of the EEC project.

 

The expansion of U-Tapao airport is in the grander scheme of things to help spur the tourism industry in Thailand, that includes the expansion of Suvaranbhumi airport, and also Don Muang airport.

 

Full story: https://www.thaienquirer.com/47070/bts-group-looks-to-revive-dormant-u-tapao-airport-project-as-it-undertakes-study-tour-to-hong-kong/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Enquirer 2022-12-26

 

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[ThailandRyan]

Foolish waste of money. Look south to an Airport they built up. Had a few flights but now lays unused for the most part.  I think it was Betong Airport in Yala.

[mikebell]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

to expand the airport with 17.77 billion Baht in funding

With all this money you'd think they could afford someone to answer emails;  in English.  Their site is a shambles of no information.

[bradiston]

If the EEC is such a thing, why is there yet no decent public bus link between Pattaya, Trad and Had Lek? Only private minibuses. 2 major tourist areas and the Cambodian border with no government bus link or even a big bus. Only 35 Group goes close.

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, bradiston said:

If the EEC is such a thing, why is there yet no decent public bus link between Pattaya, Trad and Had Lek? Only private minibuses. 2 major tourist areas and the Cambodian border with no government bus link or even a big bus. Only 35 Group goes close.

Nobody wants to go  there except border bouncers....

[Lee65]

1 hour ago, bradiston said:

If the EEC is such a thing, why is there yet no decent public bus link between Pattaya, Trad and Had Lek? Only private minibuses. 2 major tourist areas and the Cambodian border with no government bus link or even a big bus. Only 35 Group goes close.

Thailand. "Why" is a question asked only by masochists.

Edited December 26, 2022 by Lee65

[bradiston]

29 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Nobody wants to go  there except border bouncers....

Ok, I'll bite. If you mean Cambodia, in terms of the EEC, it is vital safe, robust transport links are established between Thailand and Cambodia. On the Thai side, millions, probably billions of baht have been spent widening and improving the Trad - Klong Yai - Haad Lek highway. True to say, the days of the backpackers trail may have gone, with the advent cheap flights to Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville and Siem Reap, but it's still a major border crossing.

 

And Trad is the main town for the Koh Chang archipelago. It has a lot of very decent hotels, markets, malls, eateries, a Bangkok hospital, and other facilities. Even has its own cuisine. Unfortunately, most of the minibuses from Pattaya and Bangkok to Koh Chang and Koh Mak by pass it now, via a short cut to the island piers. The song taews from Trad to same are almost invariably empty. 5 years ago, they'd be full of foreigners.

 

With no regular scheduled bus service, to and from North bus station in Pattaya, for instance, there's little motive to find your way down there. And there's no direct service from Trad bus station to Pattaya at all. It would only take maybe 3 trips a day. Just my 10 satang.

[bradiston]

3 minutes ago, Lee65 said:

T.I.T.  "Why" is not a question you want to be asking here.

Why?

[Lee65]

13 minutes ago, bradiston said:

Ok, I'll bite. If you mean Cambodia, in terms of the EEC, it is vital safe, robust transport links are established between Thailand and Cambodia. On the Thai side, millions, probably billions of baht have been spent widening and improving the Trad - Klong Yai - Haad Lek highway. True to say, the days of the backpackers trail may have gone, with the advent cheap flights to Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville and Siem Reap, but it's still a major border crossing.

 

And Trad is the main town for the Koh Chang archipelago. It has a lot of very decent hotels, markets, malls, eateries, a Bangkok hospital, and other facilities. Even has its own cuisine. Unfortunately, most of the minibuses from Pattaya and Bangkok to Koh Chang and Koh Mak by pass it now, via a short cut to the island piers. The song taews from Trad to same are almost invariably empty. 5 years ago, they'd be full of foreigners.

 

With no regular scheduled bus service, to and from North bus station in Pattaya, for instance, there's little motive to find your way down there. And there's no direct service from Trad bus station to Pattaya at all. It would only take maybe 3 trips a day. Just my 10 satang.

I agree.  The lack of decent, scheduled bus service - BIG bus service - all the way along between Bangkok, Chonburi, Bangsaen, Sri Racha, Pattaya, and Chanthaburi and Trat is a disgrace.

 

But the "why" of it is dangerous to speculate on - for our own sanity.  My guess is the public sector which could implement a bus route (The Transport Co.?) - and which can do little right anyway - likes the tax revenue from petrol sales to the private vehicles.  And my impression of the private sector bus lines is they also are too wrapped up in corruption, fear, and incompetence to make this obvious route successful.

[bradiston]

15 minutes ago, Lee65 said:

I agree.  The lack of decent, scheduled bus service - BIG bus service - all the way along between Bangkok, Chonburi, Bangsaen, Sri Racha, Pattaya, and Chanthaburi and Trat is a disgrace.

 

But the "why" of it is dangerous to speculate on - for our own sanity.  My guess is the public sector which could implement a bus route (The Transport Co.?) - and which can do little right anyway - likes the tax revenue from petrol sales to the private vehicles.  And my impression of the private sector bus lines is they also are too wrapped up in corruption, fear, and incompetence to make this obvious route successful.

Yes, but plenty of connections from Ekkamai and Morchit to Pattaya and Trad, just nothing connecting the two. There used to be an orange bus that left Ekkamai at 0430 I think bound for Trad via Sukhumvit Toad in Pattaya and Rayong. Stopped everywhere en route, took about 7 hours even at that time of day. I caught it once. It wasn't as bad as it sounds as I slept most of the way. Course you can fly to Trad, and then get screwed for the 500 baht taxi fare just to the pier. And spend 3 hours getting to the airport, checking in and out etc etc etc. Then there was the ferry link between Sattahip and Koh Chang that never materialised. After a single test run they scrapped it.

 

Anyway I guess we've wandered off topic slightly, but U-to where? Never 'eard of it!

Edited December 26, 2022 by bradiston

[Foghorn]

It’s a freebie to Hong Kong, nothing more , well maybe a big of money cleaning 

[DJ54]

Sounds like a boondoggle 

[Onerak]

7 hours ago, bradiston said:

Anyway I guess we've wandered off topic slightly, but U-to where? Never 'eard of it!

U-tapao to Hat Yai, stay one night at Hat Yai. Take a mini bus the following day from hotel to Penang and then after a few days take the train to cross Thai border and then to Hat Yai and a flight to U-tapao. This was my favorite route when I used to do visa run to Penang while staying at Pattaya. Those were the days. 

Edited December 26, 2022 by Onerak

[bradiston]

4 hours ago, Onerak said:

U-tapao to Hat Yai, stay one night at Hat Yai. Take a mini bus the following day from hotel to Penang and then after a few days take the train to cross Thai border and then to Hat Yai and a flight to U-tapao. This was my favorite route when I used to do visa run to Penang while staying at Pattaya. Those were the days. 

Sounds a great way to do the trip. But U-Tapao is a bit like Clark in Philippines. An enormous "civilianized" ex American airbase, which has for some reason never developed its commercial potential. There used to be flights to Clark from Bangkok, but no more. I don't know who flies in and out of U-Tapao now, domestic or international. Yet it represents surely the hub of hubs!

[jacko45k]

15 hours ago, bradiston said:

With no regular scheduled bus service, to and from North bus station in Pattaya, for instance, there's little motive to find your way down there. And there's no direct service from Trad bus station to Pattaya at all. It would only take maybe 3 trips a day. Just my 10 satang.

Minibuses went that way from behind Numchai on Sukhumvit... BUT last time I went via there it was very quiet. The old Tesco/Lotus supermarket had been demolished and half of the small bars and eateries in that row looked derelict. I have a couple of pals who go to Cambodia a lot... neither speak very positively about it. Also my distant trips i thought PP and Sihanoukville were awful places. I hear Siam Reap is better. 

[2baht]

15 hours ago, bradiston said:

Just my 10 satang.

I'll raise that by 1.90 baht! ????

[hotchilli]

On 12/26/2022 at 7:49 AM, webfact said:

The redevelopment of U-Tapao is part of the government’s move to keep its pet project Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) moving, although little progress has been made in the nearly 5-years of the launch of the EEC project.

I wonder why?