Thailand’s two major airports are operated by the operator, and the company intends to spend about US$ 4.8 billion to increase capability by the end of the decade to deal with a rise in post-coronavirus-pandemic tourism.
According to Kerati Kijmanawat, president of the Airports of Thailand ( AOT ) Public Company Limited, the biggest expansion of Suvarnabhumi airport since it opened in Samut Prakan province, two new runways, a new terminal, and the expansion of the existing passenger terminal will increase annual capacity to 135 million travellers from around 60 million currently. The project will cost about 140 billion baht ($ 3.7 billion ), he said.
At a cost of 36 billion baht, a new global switch to be constructed at Bangkok’s Don Mueang aircraft and the construction of the existing creating may increase capacity from 30 million to 50 million passengers annually by 2030, according to Mr. Kerati. The more senior Don Mueang primarily handles geographical and low-cost companies.  ,
AOT, as the state- controlled organization is known, does use domestic revenue for the projects and regard bank loans just if needed, said the official. According to researcher projections compiled by Bloomberg, AOT is on track to more than triple net earnings to 21 billion ringgit in the fiscal year that ends on September 30.  ,
The business is also interested in submitting an application to create two new airports, which Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced, and which may expense$ 70 billion each, either alone or in collaboration, according to Mr. Kerati. Mr. Srettha has proposed new airport gateways in Chiang Mai, a well-known tourist destination in northeastern Thailand, and in the Andamans, close to Phuket, a resort area, where the airports are sluggishly expanding.  ,
Mr Srettha, a former property tycoon, has vowed to change Thailand into a local aviation and logistics gateway, building on the government’s standing as a tourist hotspot. Additionally, he is spearheading a campaign to obtain a second visa for six Southeast Asian nations in the form of Schengen.
Changi issue
AOT’s ability to increase customer capacity and make sure a hassle-free experience for tens of millions of tourists to Thailand, whose travel costs account for about 12 % of the country’s gross domestic product, may be key to that schedule. But it faces challenges from local airports like Singapore’s Changi — ranked the country’s next- best — and the need to increase Suvarnabhumi’s place from a minimal of 58.
For instance, streamlined immigration procedures have reduced check-in and security waiting times from 50 to 35 minutes in less than two months, according to Mr. Kerati, and the addition of about 80 automated immigration gates in October will make it much smoother for passengers to move through.
AOT, Thailand’s second- largest company by market value, is on course to handle about 120 million passengers this year, compared with 150 million the year before Covid essentially shut down the tourism industry, Mr Kerati said. Only Chinese travelers have yet to go back to pre-pandemic levels, and they will still be only 70 % to 80 % of pre-Covid levels by the end of the year, he said.  ,
” If we do n’t increase our capacity, we will face the same situation we had in 2019, where all airports were fully packed and we could n’t take care of our passengers in terms of convenience and the reliability”, Mr Kerati said. ” We are not only looking at the return of passengers, but also being a hub”.
The atmosphere at Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport’s passenger terminal. ( Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill )
This year, Thailand aims to welcome 35 million to 40 million foreign tourists, close to the pre- pandemic record of 40 million visitors in 2019. The administration of Mr. Srettha has a vision to draw in 80 million tourists by 2027, and it is also considering opening casinos inside large entertainment complexes and encouraging event-based tourism to help the nation generate more revenue.
AOT shares have gained about 8 % this year, outperforming a 3.3 % decline in the nation’s benchmark SET Index.