Ministry drops plan to transfer regional airports to AoT

In order to avoid having a negative impact on the Transport Ministry, the Transport Ministry decided to abandon its plan to transfer the management of three regional airports under the Department of Airports ( DoA ) to Airports of Thailand ( AoT ).

The DoA may continue to manage the terminals in Udon Thani, Buriram, and Krabi, according to Deputy Transport Minister Manaporn Charoensri, because moving the control of these flights to a different organization may have a negative impact on the allocation of resources and human sources. &nbsp,

Following a government solution enacted on August 30, 2022, the plan to transfer control of these airports was created. The government can continue efforts to improve the airports, which was prohibited until the move is finished, with the raising of this quality. &nbsp,

The DoA currently oversees 29 flights across the nation. In addition, the AoT, a listed, open firm, is in charge of running six airports, including Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Hat Yai, Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Chiang Rai-Mae Fah Luang flights. &nbsp,

The transfer of Udon Thani, Buriram, and Krabi flights ‘ management to AoT may make the project’s implementation under a public-private agreement design more difficult, she said.

Ms. Manaporn noted that the decision to abandon the strategy will enable DoA to carry out essential improvements to Udon Thani aircraft, which have been delayed since 2018 because the quality prohibited the department from pursuing any projects relating to the three airports until the transfer was completed.

Udon Thani Airport is the busiest airport in the Northeast, but according to her, the facilities are really outdated, which negatively impact both the airport’s services and passenger comfort.

In order to upgrade several airports under its management during the fiscal year 2026, the DoA requested a budget of about 6 billion baht. According to her, the works will bring these airports in line with the most recent standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO ).

Additionally, AoT will upgrade a number of airports under its control. The business is working on the plans to construct Lanna Airport in the North and Andaman Airport in the South in addition to the ongoing improvements to Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports.