Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok is set to soft launch its Satellite Airport Terminal 1 (SAT-1) in September, with a full opening planned for early next year. Airports of Thailand (AoT) president, Kerati Kijmanawat, stated that the new 216,000-square-metre facility, with a capacity for 28 aircraft parking bays, aims to address existing issues at the airport.

 

With the ability to accommodate 15 million passengers per year, SAT-1 will increase Suvarnabhumi’s annual passenger handling capacity to 60 million. The AoT board is expected to be informed of the soft opening plans later this month.

 

AoT is also accelerating work on the 40-billion-baht North Expansion project, which will serve as a separate domestic terminal from the main terminal and is expected to take five years to complete. As for the airport’s East Expansion project, work is anticipated to commence early next year, with completion set for 2027. This 7.8 billion baht project will provide capacity for an additional 15 million passengers, reported Bangkok Post.

 

by Mitch Connor

 

Top Photo courtesy of Istock

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/news/national/suvarnabhumi-airports-sat-1-terminal-set-for-september-soft-launch

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-06-12

 

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2 hours ago, webfact said:

With the ability to accommodate 15 million passengers per year, SAT-1 will increase Suvarnabhumi’s annual passenger handling capacity to 60 million.

All well & good but the main problem is immigration, how about employing more people at passport control.

1 hour ago, Geoffggi said:

All well & good but the main problem is immigration, how about employing more people at passport control.

Undergoing indoctrination training as we speak

"Reporting" by an ASIAN NOW reporter who is basically reporting on what the Bangkok Post reporter reported........

I hope this expansion includes a third runway which should have been built years ago.

18 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Undergoing indoctrination training as we speak

Having facial operations to prevent them smiling.

It looks like passenger arrivals will have to go down three levels (from 2, to 1, to B1 to B2) to board the APM to the main passenger terminal, then go up three levels to clear arriving immigration, claim bags and clear Customs.

 

Is that correct?

 

How will baggage be transported from/to Sat-1?

 

 

15 hours ago, Searat7 said:

I hope this expansion includes a third runway which should have been built years ago.

I'm not sure the third runway will alleviate or accommodate many additional flights. I think it will only be used for landings, no takeoffs, and it's too close to 01L/19R for simultaneous Ops.

 

 

And another second midfield terminal, basically a copy and paste of this new Sat-1 terminal is planned, directly south. 

 

https://en.bkk-runway3.com/

 

18 hours ago, Searat7 said:

I hope this expansion includes a third runway which should have been built years ago.

Agreed and it's currently under-construction, although rather delayed due to the Covid-slowdown, I take a look at the latest progress every time I land at Swampy.

 

And I wonder where they will move all those parked-up Thai-Airways B747s & A380s to, once the new satellite-terminal comes into use ?  Perhaps just leave them to continue to rot, where they already are, and paint over the airline's name !  ????

23 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

All well & good but the main problem is immigration, how about employing more people at passport control.

Better still how about E-Gates for (at least) Non-IMM O/OA/OX, Elite & LTR Visa holders...

 

How many times do they need to take my picture/fingerprints?

 

 

2 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

Better still how about E-Gates for (at least) Non-IMM O/OA/OX, Elite & LTR Visa holders...

 

How many times do they need to take my picture/fingerprints?

 

 

There's actual no major hurdles to e-gate entry and leaving for visa exempt tourists as well, Singapore - that third world place does it, only a few nationalities and non bio-metric encoded passports are referred..  People clear Singapore immigration in a few minutes.

 

If Thailand wanted to keep the attitude of "why you stay and spend money long time" they can always do a referral to a dinosaur based on criteria

18 hours ago, Antiparovian said:

"Reporting" by an ASIAN NOW reporter who is basically reporting on what the Bangkok Post reporter reported........

The linked report is from The Thaiger and there's no mention of the Bangkok Post in either article.

 

Hope this helps.

21 hours ago, NanLaew said:

The linked report is from The Thaiger and there's no mention of the Bangkok Post in either article.

 

Hope this helps.

Read carefully. The "Reporter" refers to the Bangkok Post. The link is to the Thai Tiger.

 

"AoT is also accelerating work on the 40-billion-baht North Expansion project, which will serve as a separate domestic terminal from the main terminal and is expected to take five years to complete. As for the airport’s East Expansion project, work is anticipated to commence early next year, with completion set for 2027. This 7.8 billion baht project will provide capacity for an additional 15 million passengers, reported Bangkok Post."

 

by Mitch Connor