Trang Airport finally taxiing toward take-off after years of turbulence
Billions blown, deadlines missed but locals may finally see progress take off
After years of delays, walkouts and government faffing about, Trang Airport’s long-stalled revamp is finally back on the runway, with part of a shiny new terminal expected to open next month and billions more being poured into the project.
The opposition People’s Party has vowed to keep a close eye on Trang Airport’s 4.4-billion-baht overhaul, which has been riddled with contractor chaos and snail-paced progress. But now, one major phase of the revamp is nearly ready for lift-off.
Rukchanok Srinork, a Bangkok MP and member of the House committee overseeing state budgets, said a new contractor is putting the finishing touches on Project 2, the construction of a 1.06-billion-baht passenger terminal, which had been left 98% done after the original builder bailed on the job.
“Congratulations to the people of Trang. At long last, one more of the many long-delayed government projects is about to be crossed off the list.”
The committee had earlier launched an inquiry into what was holding up the airport’s facelift. Unsurprisingly, the answer boiled down to classic contractor drama.
Danai Ruengsorn, Director General of the Department of Airports, said the delay was caused by the first company ditching the work. That contract was swiftly torn up, a new firm was hired for 34 million baht, and the government kept a 53-million-baht security deposit from the former contractor as a parting gift.
If all goes to plan, the revamped terminal will partially open for domestic flights in June, with the full terminal, handling both domestic and international passengers, ready for take-off by October.
Still to come: the installation of a baggage-handling system and airport management software, Rukchanok added.
Elsewhere at the site, Project 1, which focused on runway upgrades, a new taxiway, aprons and electrical systems, is done and dusted, clocking in at 678.4 million baht.
Project 3, a 1.77-billion-baht runway extension and infrastructure boost, is currently 37% complete. Meanwhile, Project 4, which involves land expropriation to allow the runway to stretch its legs, is 51% done, a big jump from earlier this year when it was stuck at 30%.
But there’s a catch. The land grab originally had 868.8 million baht in funding, but that’s now gone. Rukchanok says an extra 600 million baht is urgently needed to get the job finished.
With billions spent and years wasted, locals will be hoping this time the upgrades don’t stall at the gate — and that Trang finally gets the airport it’s been promised.
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