The Airports of Thailand (AOT) announced plans to launch commercial activities to offset an anticipated loss of over 90 million baht due to the reclamation of commercial and office areas at Suvarnabhumi and Phuket International Airports. The changes, effective from July 1, aim to enhance facilities and improve passenger satisfaction.
The move follows recommendations from aviation consultancy firm Skytrax to elevate Suvarnabhumi Airport to meet passengers’ expectations and to rank among the world’s top 50 airports by 2025 and within the top 20 in the next five years.
AOT will reclaim commercial areas operated by King Power Duty Free and office spaces used by government agencies including the Immigration Bureau, the Thai Customs Department, and the Revenue Department. This will free up approximately 1,097.14 square meters at Suvarnabhumi Airport and about 491.22 square meters at Phuket International Airport.
The reclamation is expected to result in a monthly loss of around 1.01 million baht in office and state property rent and could decrease minimum guarantees for the 2024-2025 contract years at Suvarnabhumi and Phuket airports by approximately 74 million baht and 19 million baht per month, respectively.
To counteract this decline in revenue, AOT has prepared projects to increase income from other commercial activities. (NNT)
