The private sector will be invited to bid for a contract to build a new 25-billion-baht airport in Nakhon Pathom province, west of Bangkok.
Deputy Transport Minister Thaworn Senneam said on Tuesday that the demands of air transport keep rising every year, particularly private jets - with about 2,000 now operating in Thailand - and charter flights.
Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports were already congested. The Department of Airports had conducted a study on building a new airport in Nakhon Pathom, at a cost around 25.45 billion baht, to take the pressure off the main airports and provide added convenience for travellers.
He was speaking at a seminar to sound out interest in building the new airport.
Mr Thaworn said the airport would require expropriation of about 300 blocks of land, affecting about 200 houses. Residents had already protested against the planned airport.
The deputy transport minister said remedial measures would be needed for the affected families.
He said the airport would be built on about 3,500 rai of land in Nakhon Pathom. The site was chosen after about 10 locations were surveyed for suitability.
The private sector would be invited to jointly invest in the airport, the deputy minister said. The project study would be completed and submitted to the transport minister in mid-2020
If all procedures went smoothly - including the Environmental Impact Assessment, acquisition of land and efforts to bring local people onside - the airport plan could be forwarded to cabinet for approval in 2021 and construction begin in 2023. It would take three years to complete, with the planned opening in 2026, Mr Thaworn said.
Jarun Meesomboon, deputy director-general of the Department of Airports, said the new airport was expected to handle about 30 million passengers a year.