BANGKOK, June 29 – Some 65 million passengers, a 13-per cent rise, are expected to use Thailand’ airports in the 2011 fiscal year, from October 2010 to through November this year, according to the Airports Authority of Thailand (AoT).
AoT’s senior executive vice president and acting president Nirandra Theeranartsin said that 418,000 flights, or an 8-per cent increase, are forecast accordingly. The two figures will be AoT’s highest statistics as a result.
Mr Nirandra said the statistics of passengers using AoT’s six airports who are mainly from China, South Korea and Russia, during the past eight months reached 44.77 million with 295,000 flights operating overall.
AoT’s operation during the past six months of this fiscal year reached a net profit of Bt2.3 billion.
Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport can currently support about 45 million passengers. AoT’s committee consequently agreed to increase its capacity to welcome more travelers, as suggested by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Domestic terminals are to be built there to support another 20 million passengers with an initial construction budget of Bt9.1 billion and a 44-month construction period.
Meanwhile, Don Mueang Airport’s domestic flight services and operations at its domestic terminal will be moved to its international terminal 1, able to support 16 million passengers per year, in order that the domestic terminal can in the future be used as an aviation maintenance centre.
Around 2.5 million travellers currently use Don Muang Airport, a 43.8-per cent rise year-on-year. The figure is expected to increase to 3.9 million by November.
The Airports Authority of Thailand from November 1, 2011 through October 31, 2013 will reduce landing and take-off fees for airlines operating regular flights. It will also offer such fee reduction and cut down aircraft fees for carriers participating in Don Mueang Airport’s Marketing Incentive Program, expected to help increase the number of passengers, flights and new routes. (MCOT online news)
