BANGKOK, 29 March 2012- Deputy Transport Minister Chatchart Sithipan has urged all agencies related to air transportation to brace for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).
According to Mr. Chatchart, with the advent of the AEC in 2015, Thailand must be prepared to adapt itself to the formation in 3 main areas, namely infrastructure, law and personnel. The Deputy Transport Minister explained that Suvarnabhumi Airport currently faces a congestion problem, given that the increasing number of passengers passing through the airport each year has exceeded the capacity intended for the airport terminals. Currently, Suvarnabhumi Airport is speeding up the construction of Phase 2 in thew hope of alleviating the problem of congestion within the airport terminals. In addition, measures are being carried out to accelerate passenger traffic at immigration checkpoints.
Meanwhile, laws governing aviation should be modified to correspond with modern circumstances in order to promote regional investment once the liberalization comes into effect. Mr. Chatchart also advised that the skills of airline staff should be developed to keep up with the fast-growing business. Additionally, the airport’s air traffic system must be modified to accommodate the increased number of flights.
