Don Mueang airport will open part of Terminal 2 on Dec 24 to serve passengers and ease congestion during the holiday travel season.
Airports of Thailand (AoT) president Nitinai Sirismatthakarn said the unofficial launch date was set after the successful completion of three days of trial operations on Friday. The tests simulated real conditions from check-in to boarding of passengers.
The safety standards at the terminal had been approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, he added.
But passengers should not expect full services at the terminal, as some areas, including some washrooms, restaurants and shops, are still being refurbished, he said. Full service is tentatively planned to start in February.
Terminal 2 has been renovated to ease the severe overcrowding that has developed at Terminal 1 since Bangkok's old airport was opened for low-cost airlines.
Terminal 1 is already running well beyond its capacity of 18.5 million passengers a year. According to AoT data for the 12 months to Sept 30, passenger volume at Don Mueang jumped 47.8% from a year earlier to 28.6 million, with aircraft movements surging 32.7% to 214,809.
Don Mueang is now the busiest low-cost carrier airport in Asia, according to AoT.
Public transport from taxis and airport express buses to connect with destinations in Bangkok will be provided at Terminal 2.