Airports of Thailand (AoT) is to invest a total of 4.4 billion baht in the expansion of Suvarnabhumi Airport and the third phase development project of Don Mueang International Airport.
Kirati Kitmanawat, AoT deputy director, recently said that improvements in service and security are in place for Suvarnabhumi Airport, with a total of 65 million passengers expected to arrive this year. The number is close to that of the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
He said that the AoT also aims to increase the flight capacity of Suvarnabhumi's satellite terminal 1 (SAT-1) from 50 flights per day to 120 flights per day within two months and 400 flights per day by the end of the year.
According to him, the increase in SAT-1's capacity will allow greater convenience for passengers and result in a higher number of passengers, which will, in turn, attract more vendors to open their shops in the airport.
He further revealed that the AoT is ready to proceed with its East Expansion project, which involves the expansion of Suvarnabhumi's passenger building on the east side to accommodate 15 million passengers per year. The company will invest 8 billion baht in the project, with bidding to start in May.
In addition, the AoT will invest 36 billion baht in phase three of Don Mueang International Airport's development. The plan includes the construction of a new international passenger terminal and the renovation of passenger building 1. The expansion is to increase the passenger capacity from 30 million to 50 million annually. The bidding for the development project will begin later this year.