Conceived with the aim to meet the increasing number of visitors to Thailand, the Satellite 1 (SAT-1) building at Suvarnabhumi International Airport soft opens tomorrow.
With the construction began in 2016 and a budget of nearly B40 billion (B39.760 billion to be more exact), the SAT-1 building is a four-storey building connecting to the main terminal building via the Automated People Mover (APM) system, Thailand's first unmanned passenger transit.
The new building is 216,000m² in area and features 28 gates. Designed with sustainability in mind, it has a water treatment system and solar cells and makes use of natural light to reduce electricity costs. There are plenty of photo ops as you can find various sculptures of mythical Thai creatures in the waiting/garden areas, murals with Thai motifs, Thai textiles and more. The toilets will also be a showcase of Thai culture featuring charms from the four regions of Thailand.
The stunning building has four above-ground storeys and two underground levels. On the B2 level, there's a station for the APM system between SAT-1 and the main terminal. The underground APM system, the first of its kind in Thailand, can carry 210 passengers per trip or 3,590 passengers per hour. It's a five-minute ride from the main terminal to the SAT-1 building.
The B1 level is dedicated to the luggage handling system. The ground floor is the apron level with gates, gardens, passenger bus stops and staff offices. The first floor is the arrival level with waiting areas, a prayer room for Muslims, shops, a first aid room and gardens. The second floor is the departure level with waiting areas, duty-free shops and other types of shops. The third floor is the CIP (commercially important person) lounges level with VIP lounges, airline lounges, restaurants, a playroom, a prayer room for Muslims and sky lounges.
Two airlines will be using the new building, for now. They are Thai AirAsia X for flights to Japan, South Korea and China and Thai VietJet for flights to Singapore and Vietnam.
