Airports of Thailand (AoT) held its second public hearing for the Don Mueang Airport Development Phase 3 project.
The aim of the meeting was to gather feedback and suggestions from stakeholders and relevant agencies to ensure that the project design meets their needs.
AoT President, Kerati Kijmanawat on Tuesday chaired the meeting, which was attended by over 200 representatives from government agencies, airlines, ground handling companies, commercial businesses, and transportation service providers both within and outside of Don Mueang Airport.
The Don Mueang Airport Development Phase 3 project is a key component of the government’s plan to develop transportation infrastructure to connect domestic and international economic zones. The project aims to transform Don Mueang Airport into a regional aviation hub, linking air transportation and connecting the Asia-Pacific region.
The Cabinet has approved a total investment of 36.8 billion baht for the Don Mueang Airport Development Phase 3 project. The project aims to increase the airport’s capacity to accommodate 40 million passengers per year, with a maximum handling capacity of 50 million passengers per year.
The project will include the construction of a new international passenger terminal (International Terminal) on the south side of the airport. The new terminal will have a floor area of approximately 166,000 square meters and will be able to accommodate up to 23 million international passengers per year. It is expected to be operational by 2029.
In addition to the new passenger terminal, the project will also include the renovation of Passenger Terminal 1 to expand the domestic passenger area. Together with Passenger Terminal 2, the airport will be able to accommodate up to 27 million domestic passengers per year. The total floor area of the domestic passenger area will be 240,000 square meters. The renovated domestic passenger area is expected to be operational by 2031.
A private jet terminal will also be added to the airport. Currently, there are 20-30 private jet flights per day at Don Mueang Airport.
The new terminal will attract more high-end passengers to the airport and is expected to generate revenue of 3 billion baht per year.
The project will also expand the airport’s parking capacity by 4,000 additional parking spaces, bringing the total to 6,000 spaces. This expansion is necessary to accommodate the increasing number of domestic passengers.
The project is currently in the design phase, which is expected to be completed by October 2024. Construction is expected to begin in 2025 and be completed by 2031.
Don Mueang Airport is positioned as a convenient airport due to its proximity to downtown Bangkok. The airport will focus on accommodating direct flights from China, Japan, South Korea, and ASEAN countries.
Currently, Don Mueang Airport handles 50 flights per hour. Once the project is completed, the airport will be able to handle 60 flights per hour. (TNA)
