AoT plans to make airport best in world

AoT plans to make airport best in world

Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) plans to develop Suvarnabhumi airport into the best airport in the world in six years.

Acting AoT president Pongsak Semsan said the Airport Council International ranked Suvarnabhumi the world's sixth-best airport last year.

Suvarnabhumi's expansion is under way, aimed at ending passenger and traffic congestion, and due to be finished in 2017. After that, there will be a two-year drive to improve the quality of services and staff.

Mr Pongsak said Suvarnabhumi is inferior to some international airports, including others in the region, in terms of the language skills of staff, air traffic congestion and services.

"In six years, we will be better able to compete and have a chance to become the world's best airport, because Thailand has an edge over our competitors in being the region's main tourist attraction," Mr Pongsak said.

The expansion will increase the airport's passenger-handling capacity from 45 million to 60 million annually.

The time the passengers take from aircraft touch down to leaving the airport terminal will be shortened to 12-15 minutes on average, Mr Pongsak said.

Those waiting to fly out of Suvarnabhumi will also enjoy better facilities in the departures area.

After Suvarnabhumi's expansion is complete, the AoT will offer its airport management expertise to neighbouring countries. Myanmar had earlier sought to hire AoT to manage its new airports.

Suvarnabhumi director Rawewan Netrakavesna said some facilities had already been improved.

She said the ticket counters have been moved to make room for expanding the departure lounge on the fourth floor.

A two-storey building is being built to handle the luggage of passengers in transit.

The new facility will increase the handling capacity to 66 bags per minute and reduce the baggage transfer time from 75 to 60 minutes, Ms Rawewan said.

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