The cabinet has approved amending a draft ministerial regulation on the issuance of a licence to set up airports as proposed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith says.
Speaking after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, he said under the new ministerial regulation, the qualifications of operators entitled to receive a licence are specific and will vary according to the type of airport.
For a public airport, operators must be registered as a limited company or public limited company under Thai law with their headquarters in Thailand, he said.
At least 51% of the shares must be held by one of three groups: A Thai national, a Thai government agency or a limited company or public limited company with Thais holding at least a 51% stake.
As for a private airport, operators must not have been declared bankrupt. They must own the land the airport is to be built on and be able to operate an airport in accordance with the ministerial regulation, Mr Arkhom said.
Operators of both types of airports must submit a form requesting a licence master plan, a transport report and other required documents to the CAAT, he added.
The agency will examine their qualifications and the documents to determine whether they are entitled to receive a licence. Authorities can also inspect proposed locations for an airport.
After construction is approved by the government, authorities will make comments on the airport's design and master plan before granting a licence.
The minister also said Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) is gearing up for two airport projects in Chiang Mai and Phuket provinces.
While both airports will serve as second airports to the existing provincial ones, they will be among the first to fall under the new regulations.
"The AoT is in the process of conducting feasibility studies and environmental impact assessments on the projects because their construction requires solid plans and studies," Mr Arkhom said.
"Locations must be ready. More importantly, the projects must be acceptable to the public. We need to have prerequisites including strong financial support as stipulated in the law," he added. According to the new regulations, helipad owners have to make sure they are qualified.
Licences issued before the enforcement of the new ministerial regulation will remain valid until they expire. However, the new regulation will be applied to requests for licences currently being examined by authorities.
In addition, Mr Arkhom said the cabinet has also approved a draft national airspace policy to devise measures to meet growing demands in the Thai sector.
According to the International Air Transport Association, Thailand will be among the world's top 10 countries with the highest number of passengers with three million flights annually within the next 20 years.