Overcapacity Challenges Phuket Airport

9th May 2013

Phuket Airport has been operating beyond capacity which prompted AoT officials to carry out the present expansion to cope with the growing demand. However, the present expansion project would only meet the demand until 2015, at the earliest, based on the rate of its present handling capacity.

The current site of the airport, however, poses physical problems as it doesn't allow further expansion in the future due to its limited space. There have been options to cope with the projected increase in both passenger traffic and aircraft movement in the airport.

Among the options include expansion of the terminal which could mean expansion of the land area to build another structure, building a completely new airfield in nearby Phangnga province and utilizing Krabi airport, which lies 180 kilometers to the north.

Phuket is Thailand's most popular resort destination which draws millions of tourists annually. Last year alone, Phuket Airport handled a total of 9.5 million visitors. It is also projected that the number will increase to 10.5 million this year, 11 million the following year and 12 million through 2015.

When the present expansion gets completed by 2015, the airport would have been operating beyond its capacity again. The current terminal expansion is designed to handle 12 million annually.

The airport is now turning down requests from airline operators to mount additional flights into and out of the airport due to handling capacity problem.

The first option, which is expanding the airport's current land area, is said to be a very expensive proposition as land prices nearby are prohibitively high.

Reclamation is also a probable option but officials are worried about the adverse effect on the marine environment and might meet opposition from cause-oriented groups who advocate for environment protection.

The government has appropriated a plot of land in the Phangnga province, some 100 kilometers north of Phuket, that can be utilized for such purpose.

Improving or expanding Krabi Airport is considered as another option, however indirectly, to handle flights that can't be accommodated at Phuket Airport.

The Phuket Airport general manager, Pratuang Sonkham, however, said that the terminal which is presently under construction can still be expanded to handle up to 15 million passengers annually.

His proposal is the most viable as it doesn't require large amount of money to finance another expansion project once the terminal reaches its capacity by 2015.

Pratuang Sonkham admitted that the airport is growing rapidly that the present expansion project would not be able to sustain the airport's growth as soon as it is completed by 2015. He explained that capacity expansion as well as construction of another runway will be necessary after 2015.

The new terminal which is designed to handle 5 million passengers annually is now under construction and will be solely used for international traffic upon its completion. The current terminal which is used by domestic and international passengers, will be dedicated to domestic traffic by then.

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