The Ministry of Transport has outlined a strategy to propel Suvarnabhumi Airport into the top 20 global airports by 2029, aligning with the government’s goal to position Thailand as a premier global aviation hub. The plan, announced by Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit, follows the airport’s rise to 58th place in the 2024 Skytrax World’s Best Airport rankings, up from 68th place the previous year.
Currently, Suvarnabhumi Airport, one of Asia’s busiest, is set to scale up its capacity to handle 170 million passengers and one million flights annually by 2029, with goals to expand these numbers to 210 million passengers and 1.2 million flights by 2034. Don Mueang Airport, which caters primarily to low-cost carriers in Bangkok, has also made the top 10 of Skytrax’s 2024 list for the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline Terminals.
In the period from October 2023 to May 2024, Suvarnabhumi managed 81.05 million passengers, reaching 83.4% of its passenger volume compared to the pre-pandemic period, with nearly 48.95 million travelers on domestic flights. Additionally, the airport accommodated 490,970 flights during this timeframe, which is about 81% of its total flights handled in 2019.
Current expansion projects at Suvarnabhumi include increasing terminal space and finalizing a third runway, scheduled to become operational by September. This expansion is expected to enhance the airport’s capacity from 68 to 94 flights per hour. (NNT)
