High hopes as mega-airport project near Phuket gets tentative name

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High hopes as mega-airport project near Phuket gets tentative name 
By   SUCHAT SRITAMA 
THE NATION 

 

The red pinpoint shows the location of the Phang NgaAndaman International Airport in Phang Nga’s Thai Muang district.

 

PHUKET: -- A TRANSPORTATION mega-project north of Phuket under development by Bangkok Airways has been tentatively named the Phang Nga-Andaman International Airport.

 

In what is being envisaged as either a public-private-sector partnership or a solely private investment, tourism-industry sources have confirmed that Bangkok Airways is in talks with Phang Nga province for a large-scale land lease for the facility, with the environmental impact assessment already in the works.

 

The proposal has been submitted to the Forest Department. 

 

The location of the proposed airport is Moo 4, Baan Tha Dindaeng, Lam Kaeng subdistrict in Phang Nga’s Thai Muang district. It sits on a site of about 2,000 rai (320 hectares).

 

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/business/corporate/30302513

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2016-12-21

[thaigirlwatcher]

Phuket has been entirely paved so let's move north. 

[Rhys]

oh great

 

 

[elgordo38]

High Hopes airport. I like the ring of that. 

[elgordo38]

4 hours ago, thaigirlwatcher said:

Phuket has been entirely paved so let's move north. 

Great the planes can land anywhere in a pinch. 

[Deli]

will not happen within the next 50 years, any bets ?

 

[GreasyFingers]

If it is the same as Bangkok Airways owned Samui airport it will not be cheap to fly there.

[eisfeld]

Could be that some investors are seeing the declining appeal of Phuket with certain demographics who are looking for more nature, relaxed atmosphere, less traffic problems and more things to see. Phang Nga has a lot to offer and quite some potential. Phuket is too entrenched in mafia business and culture of greed.

[LivinginKata]

6 hours ago, Deli said:

will not happen within the next 50 years, any bets ?

 

 

I'm not so sure   .... a new hub is needed .... badly

[LivinginKata]

3 minutes ago, eisfeld said:

Could be that some investors are seeing the declining appeal of Phuket with certain demographics who are looking for more nature, relaxed atmosphere, less traffic problems and more things to see. Phang Nga has a lot to offer and quite some potential. Phuket is too entrenched in mafia business and culture of greed.

 

I agree ... but I have to question how much traffic this new airport will attract.  The big volume is Phuket, an extra hour's drive south is not attractive. 

Edited December 21, 2016 by LivinginKata

[Kopitiam]

2 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

 

I agree ... but I have to question how much traffic this new airport will attract.  The big volume is Phuket, an extra hour's drive south is not attractive. 

The new airport in Phang Nga may not attract the numbers like Phuket, but those who currently have to use Phuket to go to Khao Lak will likely use the new airport.  There are a lot of attractions in PhangNga which Phuket currently borrowed, e.g Khao Sok National Park, PhangNga Bay, etc.  Come to think of it, Phuket does not have that many natural attractions, e.g. Phi Phi islands belong to Krabi, James Bond island and Similans islands belong to PhangNga.

[Gene1960]

 
I agree ... but I have to question how much traffic this new airport will attract.  The big volume is Phuket, an extra hour's drive south is not attractive. 

I don't think one hour drive matters for the Chinese package tours. We are seeing a lot of them in Khao Lak and Thai Muang even off-season.

[eisfeld]

13 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

 

I agree ... but I have to question how much traffic this new airport will attract.  The big volume is Phuket, an extra hour's drive south is not attractive. 

 

Well my point is that Phuket is losing it's appeal and the people who'd use that new airport are likely not heading to Phuket but to the many places around Phang Nga. They'd stay there for their holiday and maybe do daytrips down to Phuket.

 

In terms of attractions, what does Phuket really have to offer? Some good (not great) beaches, Big Buddha and Wat Chalong. The rest is nightlife, restaurants, shopping and other entertainment stuff. Restaurants you can find outside of Phuket enough good ones unless you want western food. Nightlife... more and more people stay away from bars and related sinkholes of life. Shopping: people don't really come to Phuket for that. Leaves entertainment with things like wake boarding, a standing wave surfing and similar which Phang Nga doesn't have but it has other things like rafting. But Phang Nga has waaaay more to offer in terms of nature and relaxing.

 

I think once and if this new airport manifests, Phang Nga will see a nice boost of tourism. Phuket as everyone knows is already on the downward trend and will even continue even more so.