New Thailand Airport Gets Approval in Second Hearing

24th Jan 2020

A new airport seeking to decongest the two international airports in Bangkok moved one step closer to construction.
This after the planned airport secured the approval of the public during a second hearing.
The Department of Airports (DOA), the proponent of the project, is seeking to invest 20 billion baht for the new airport in efforts to decongest the Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports which are serving more than their designed capacity.
It is expected to accommodate as much as 5,100 passengers per hour and a maximum of 25 million flyers annually.
Tentatively, the DOA is mulling over the construction of the airport on a 3,500 rai land between Bang Len and Nakhon Chaisi districts. The location is about five kilometers away from the Bang Yai-Kanchanaburi motorway.
Driving between the airport and Bangkok will take around one hour.
The DOA said it would submit its proposal to the Ministry of Transport, thereafter it will be passed to the cabinet for final approval. Once it obtains the green light, construction will begin and take around four years.
A survey conducted by the National Institute for Development Administration in September showed that the majority of people agreed with a plan to construct a new flight hub in Nakhon Pathom province.
The poll, which was conducted on September 12 to 13, showed that 65% of the 1,273 people surveyed approved the new airport to facilitate air travel for residents in the provinces and nearby areas. They also said the new airport will help boost local tourism and decentralize Bangkok.

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