Expansion of Phuket Airport Starts

11th Sep 2012

The Deputy Director of the Airports of Thailand, Wing Commander Pratheep Wichittho, recently announced during the press conference that the expansion project of the Phuket International Airport has already started which is estimated to cost 5.7 billion baht to the government.

According to the AOT official that the expansion project will not, in any way, affect the normal operation of the airport as the construction workers will utilize a separate access point. Mr, Pratheep was joined by the airport director Prathuang Sornkham during the press conference held at the Royal Phuket City Hotel.

The official also assured the public that the security of the airport will be heightened to level 3 during the construction period which includes random checks on vehicles entering the premises or on the construction site.

Moreover, Mr. Prathuang addressed the chaotic arrangement of the airport's present public transport system most especially where taxi drivers just grab arriving passengers exiting from the arrival terminal building. While the construction project is ongoing, the airport will set up an office beside the terminal building to be manned by the airport staff to manage the taxi service. As soon as the improvement project is completed, dedicated counters for taxi operators using the airport shall have been in place by then. Taxis are only allowed into the lanes outside the arrival area to pick up passengers.

He also stressed that one of the components of the expansion project is the building of parking lots for all types of vehicles using the airport, both public and privates vehicles. Parking lots for public transport such as buses and taxis will be clearly marked specifically for them as well as private cars who pick up arriving relative and friends. The new parking lot will have a capacity of 1,500 cars.

The major component of the 5.7 billion baht improvement project is the expansion of the airport's terminal capacity to 12.5 million passengers. The current terminal building was designed only to handle 6.5 million passengers but that has already been surpassed. Last year's (2011) figure alone of 8.4 million passengers shows the airport terminal operating above its capacity. By the end of this year, the passenger traffic is expected to grow by 11 percent or up to 9.3 million, further constricting the airport's capacity.

The current expansion project will add another 10 aircraft bays as well as 4 boarding gantries for passengers. Upon completion, the airport shall have a total of 25 aircraft bays and 11 boarding gantries.

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