Suvarnabhumi Airport expansion capacity up to 15 million visitors

The eastern side of Suvarnabhumi Airport’s main terminal will be modified to boost Thailand’s arrival capacity to 15 million travellers annually. The upgrades will be completed in 3 years. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Suvarnabhumi hosted 65 million passengers, international and domestic, through its arrival gates.

The eastern side of the terminal will be large enough to accommodate up to 15 million passengers a year after the approximately seven-month-long renovation is complete. The 7.8 billion baht, ‘Eastern Expansion project’ will take up 66,000 square metres of space and play a crucial role in the main terminal’s capacity to welcome and process travellers.

When construction is completed in 2025, the extension of the airport is projected to increase its total domestic and international capacity from 65 million to a total of 80 million passengers per year.

A final version of the plan will be sent to the Airports of Thailand board before being approved by the government in early 2023.

Finding contractors for the extension is the next step, which might start between April and July of next year. The actual construction is scheduled to start in August of 2023.

The meeting earlier this week to increase the Suvarnabhumi airport’s capacity was chaired by Deputy PM and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob was also in attendance, among representatives from several organisations.

The Airports of Thailand announced last month that the new passenger terminal at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok will be ready for use by April 2023.

Since the elimination of the Thailand Pass, earlier complicating entry into Thailand, flights, and passengers have only increased at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport by about 10% on average over the past month.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post