Suvarnabhumi Airport to handle 80 million passengers yearly by 2031

Airports of Thailand (AoT) announced ambitious plans to upgrade Suvarnabhumi International Airport in a bid to accommodate 80 million passengers annually by 2031.

AoT President Kerati Kijmanawat stated yesterday, August 28, that the agency is revising its master plan to expand the airport’s capacity over the next decade. This move aligns with the government’s goal to see Suvarnabhumi Airport rank among the top 20 airports globally within five years.

The master plan includes the construction of a new passenger terminal, the South Terminal, on the airport’s southern side. This project is estimated to cost 120 billion baht (US$3.5 billion). Additionally, a fourth runway will be built at an estimated cost of 20 billion baht (US$590 million), said Kerati.

“With these two new elements, the airport will be able to handle about 80 million passengers per year.”

Kerati added that the South Terminal will likely take 14 months to complete, whereas Runway 4 will require approximately 10 months.

The master plan review is expected to be completed by February. Kerati mentioned that AoT will forward the plan to the Transport Ministry, which will then submit it to the Cabinet for budget approval. This process is anticipated to take at least another three months.

Bidding for the construction projects is expected to commence by early 2027. According to Kerati, the South Terminal will take around four-and-a-half years to build, while the fourth runway should be completed within four years.

The new terminal is projected to open by late 2031, with the fourth runway likely to be inaugurated a year earlier.

Kerati emphasised the necessity of Suvarnabhumi’s development plan due to the overcrowding of the existing main terminal. The current drop-off and pick-up areas are also overly congested, as the space is limited to 400 metres in length, reported Bangkok Post.

“When the South Terminal is built, more drop-off and pick-up space, about 2 kilometres long, will be added.”

The plan includes designing a temporary parking space in a U-shape to improve passenger drop-offs and pick-ups. Shops will also be added to this space for those who arrive early and wish to spend some time before their flights.