Phuket airport renovates wing

Phuket airport renovates wing

Phuket airport's domestic terminal has completed the first phase of its facelift.
Phuket airport's domestic terminal has completed the first phase of its facelift.

The chaos at Phuket airport's domestic terminal may start to subside this coming Tuesday, when the first-phase upgrade opens for service.

The completed renovation of the southern wing of the airport's old terminal, which is dedicated to domestic passengers, will afford 23,000 square metres in service area.

The opening will largely resolve the overcrowding and inconvenience that marred domestic passenger movements during the partial closure of the terminal for the upgrade.

"It will certainly ease congestion, offering greater convenience, and improve domestic traffic flow," Phet Chan-Charoen, general manager of Phuket airport, told the Bangkok Post yesterday.

The opening is timed to allow the airport to better cope with the surge in peak travel demand.

The airport expects daily aircraft movements, both domestic and international, through the airport to jump to 300 a day, moving 50,000 passengers a day during the high season, which runs from the end of October to March.

The upgraded southern wing covers both arrival and departure sections, with a spacious hall and 22 check-in counters.

Mr Phet said the airport will soon commence the upgrade of the northern wing of the domestic terminal, which boasts a combined service area of 41,500 sq m.

That upgrade is due for completion in April next year, allowing the entire domestic terminal to be fully operational by June next year.

The upgrade of the terminal is part of the 5.14-billion-baht overall expansion of Thailand's third-busiest airport to bring its passenger handling capacity to 12.5 million a year from 6.5 million previously.

The construction of the new international terminal came on stream from Sept 16 of last year.

But Mr Phet said movements through the domestic terminal will not be as smooth while the upgrade of the northern wing is in progress.

Phuket is one of the five airports operated by Airports of Thailand Plc that are stretched beyond their limits, handling 16.2 million passengers in the fiscal year to Sept 30 with a capacity of 8 million.

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