Thailand’s PM plans secondary city airport revitalisation to boost tourism

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s recent plan to revitalise airports in secondary cities has been warmly received by tourism operators in Nakhon Ratchasima. The airport revitalisation proposal, aimed at driving up tourist arrivals and stimulating the economy, was announced yesterday.

Local tourism promotion association’s leader, Pongthep Malachasing, sees this as a golden opportunity to invigorate Nakhon Ratchasima Airport. The airport, despite the province’s robust road and rail transport networks, has seen minimal activity. The airport, positioned 30 kilometres from the city, has struggled to draw in passengers and requires political backing to drive air travel demand.

Pongthep expressed his hopes that the Pheu Thai-led government would consider the idea of upgrading Nakhon Ratchasima Airport and connecting it with other cities to bolster air traffic, bringing airport revitalisation into action for posterity.

Nakhon Ratchasima Airport is situated in the Chalerm Phrakiat district and is capable of accommodating large aircraft. Its 5,500 square metre passenger terminal can service up to 300 passengers an hour. However, the current service is limited to flights for trainee pilots, after Nok Air discontinued its Nakhon Ratchasima-Chiang Mai route due to financial losses, only two months into service in September last year.

In its early operational years, the airport had seen some commercial airlines like Thai Airways, Air Andaman, and Kan Airlines initiate domestic flight services. However, these were later discontinued owing to financial losses, reported Bangkok Post.

Meanwhile, Sanan Angubolkul, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, revealed that the business community has urged the incoming government to invigorate the tourism sector. This call was made in a meeting following Srettha’s appointment as the prime minister.

Sanan highlighted the need for urgent measures to attract foreign visitors, especially from China, to expedite economic recovery in the last quarter. He added that Srettha had acknowledged the issue, and the private sector now awaits concrete measures following the government’s policy statement to parliament.

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