More passengers and aircraft at the Airports Authority of Thailand are expected in 2013 following an excellent year 2012.
BANGKOK- More than 74 million Thai and foreign passengers passed through the six international airports under the supervision of the Airports Authority of Thailand (AoT) last year.
The six airports are Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai, Phuket, and Chiang Rai.
AoT vice president Somchai Sawasdipol said last Friday that the six airports handled a total of 74.26 million passengers, an increase of 11.9% from 2011. Of the total, about 46 million trips were made by foreign nationals and 28.24 million by Thai travellers, he said.
There were about 496,000 flights through the six airports, up 10.5% from 2011, of which 275,000 were international flights and 221,000 domestic flights, said Mr Somchai. Suvarnabhumi airport handled the largest number of passengers, 51.4 million, followed by Phuket airport, with 9.4 million, he said.
Meanwhile, congestion at Thailand main airports is rampant. Solutions are now looked to relieve that congestion with a proposal by Thai Airways International (THAI) to build its own domestic terminal at Suvarnabhumi airport. The move puzzled the Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT).
THAI president Sorajak Kasemsuvan said the national flag carrier had earlier consulted Transport Minister Chadchat Sittipunt over its plan to rent a vacant area on the eastern side of Suvarnabhumi airport to build its own domestic terminal.
The airline said the move was to accommodate the rising number of passengers flying on THAI domestic flights.
The AoT, however, said it failed to grasp why THAI would want to enter the airport terminal business and said the change could cause confusion in the airport’s management.
The vacant plot would be used to build the proposed domestic terminal, Mr Sorajak said.
“THAI is interested in investing in the terminal construction and wants to rent the plot from the AoT to build the terminal, which will be connected with THAI’s international terminal there,” he said.
Details of the project, including investment costs and rental fees, are still being reviewed by THAI.
The project, known as the “TG domestic terminal” would ease congestion at Suvarnabhumi airport and boost the airline’s image, Mr Sorajak said. Under the plan, THAI will be responsible for managing space at the TG domestic terminal.
Any airlines wanting to use the terminal will have to rent space from THAI, which will collect fees from tenant companies before passing fees on to the AoT on an annual basis.
Mr Chadchat said he had no objection to the plan, but THAI must submit its plan to the ministry for review.
Somchai Sawasdipol, the AoT’s acting president, said the AoT had opted to speed up the second-phase expansion of Suvarnabhumi airport to accommodate the rising number of passengers.
“I am confused as to why THAI, which runs an airline business, wants to invest in the airport’s development,” Mr Somchai said.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
