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Don Mueang Airport To Become Major Hub For LCCs
7th Jan 2015
This bold projection was conceived by no less than Tony Fernandes, founder and CEO of Malaysia-based AirAsia Bhd.
On the occasion of the region's adoption of the single aviation market which heralds freer travel between countries within the ASEAN bloc, the airline executive was upbeat with the prospect of air travel boom across the region.
The ASEAN Single Aviation Market is a major regional aviation policy which promotes a unified and single aviation market in the region.
There are currently 10 member countries within the ASEAN group which include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
It is projected that the tourism growth in the region will accelerate in the coming years with the adoption of an open-sky policy.
The airline executive is optimistic that the region will attract a large volume of regional visitors with more relaxed aviation policy, as airlines will be able to bring passengers from across the borders without needing to go through redundant immigration control in each airport.
Tony Fernandes is seeing Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport as the next big thing to happen in the future of ASEAN travel.
The airport will soon become fully operational after more than three years since it was reopened to commercial operations, albeit partially, on March 2012.
The airport was originally closed to commercial aviation in September 2006 after the opening of a much bigger Suvarnabhumi Airport, but the government decided to reopen the facility the following year after low-cost operators clamored for its reopening primarily due to the new airport's higher fees.
The full operation of Don Mueang International Airport ushers in a renewed vitality in the country's tourism industry after a year of sagging demand from international travel due to the political crisis that hit the country.
Donn Mueang underwent a major renovation which amounted to a whopping THB3.2 billion to increase its handling capacity to 30 million passengers annually. Before the renovation, the airport had an annual capacity of 18 million passengers.
In 2012, all airlines under the AirAsia group of Tony Fernandes moved their base of operations to Don Mueang International Airport. Currently, there are 15 budget carriers operating at the airport.
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