The first market soundings for a 200-billion-baht development plan for U-Tapao airport in Rayong were held yesterday, a month before the terms of reference (ToR) for the megaproject are set to be announced for potential project bidders.
The event was jointly held by the Royal Thai Navy -- which partly owns the airport -- and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Committee, the latter of which is headed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Navy commander-in-chief Adm Naris Pratumsuwan, who presided over the market soundings, said over 200 representatives of private firms were in attendance yesterday.
He said the main objective of the megaproject is to transform U-Tapao into a fully commercial airport, since it has been tipped to become an Asean aviation hub once plans solidify.
The Transport Ministry has estimated the airport will have a potential capacity of 60 million passengers a year if all EEC-backed developments are complete, although no specific date has been set as a deadline.
The EEC Committee concluded earlier this month the terms for the plan which will be released by the end of July. Admiral Naris said yesterday an official list of investors will be concluded at the start of next year.
According to the navy, a second market sounding will be held, but no date has been set as of yet.
The 200-billion-baht U-Tapao mega-project currently involves the construction of a third passenger terminal, a commercial precinct, a free-trade zone, cargo facilities and a maintenance, repair and overhaul centre.
The structures are set to be constructed on a 6,500-rai plot of land inside U-Tapao property, located in Rayong's Ban Chang district. The entire property -- including the airport and shared navy facilities -- comes to over 16,000 rai.
A public-private-partnership is the likely investment method for the project, Adm Naris said. However, it is currently undecided if the 200-billion-baht plan will be split into several contracts, or if just one ToR document can refer to the entire megaproject, he added.
U-Tapao director, Rear Admiral Luechai Sri-eamgool, said passenger numbers have doubled in the past year. He said it has serviced over 1.5 million passengers since the start of the current financial year, with the number set to rise to 2 million by year-end.
Last year it had just 1 million passengers and 600,000 the year before, he said. The number could rise to 3 million next year as new routes are established, he added.
The planned EEC high-speed railway connecting the airport to Suvarnabhumi airport in Samut Prakan and Don Mueang airport in Bangkok will also be located on the 6,500-rai piece of land set aside for the EEC-backed developments, RAdm Luechai said.
The railway itself has been valued at 224 billion baht, stretching 220km with the trains reaching maximum speeds of 250kph. Current plans involve using the existing Airport Rail Link's route and constructing extensions from its terminuses in Phaya Thai and Suvarnabhumi.
The ToR for the railway were announced by the State Railway of Thailand in late May.