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New runway approved for U-Tapao Airport
6th Nov 2022
Flying to Thailand's famous tourist destination Pattaya in Rayong will improve thanks to a large expansion proposal for U-Tapao Airport that has been approved by the Thai Cabinet. The project should increase the airport's capacity for landing commercial planes with the construction of a new runway and expanded passenger amenities. The expansion is forecast to accommodate up to sixty million people annually.
The expansion of the airport is part of Thailand's wider goal to upgrade infrastructure in the future, in order to increase commerce along the Eastern Economic Corridor. The U-Tapao plan calls for the construction of an extra runway and the taxiways required to link that landing strip to the terminal. The runway will be 3,505 metres in length, and its opening is anticipated for 2024.
However, the U-Tapao project is unlikely to begin construction for some time. This week's Cabinet decision was only a general endorsement of the notion without a specific strategy or deadline. Nevertheless, this is the first stage in transforming Pattaya's nearest airport into a genuine international hub. The airport would then compete with Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, Phuket International Airport, and Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport, the top three airports, in order, in terms of passenger traffic this year.
In October 2019 the airport expansion project was started, but, like so many other initiatives, particularly in the tourist industry, this one has been delayed by the Covivirus-19 outbreak. The anticipated cost of transforming U-Tapao into a world-class international hub airport is 17.8 billion Baht.
