Rayong set to benefit from airport's growth

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has set his sights on turning U-Tapao airport into the country's third major international airport, with immediate and longer term plans to make it a key driver of aviation growth.

The vast, navy-owned airport compound will not only serve authorities on security missions, but also help secure the airport's new path towards commercial success by becoming an aviation hub in Southeast Asia, Gen Prayut said during his visit to the airport in Rayong's Ban Chang district day.

The airport's second terminal is scheduled for a soft opening in August and a grand opening after the New Year, the premier said as he was briefed on construction, which is now 99% complete.

The navy spent 619 million baht building the terminal which will allow the airport to serve three million passengers by next year, up from the current 800,000 passengers, said airport director Rear Adm Worapol Tongpricha.

The new terminal will have more aerobridges and parking bays.

The development was decided at a December 2014 cabinet meeting. It was part of upgrades to U-Tapao to ease overcrowding at Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports, according to a Transport Ministry source.

Gen Prayut stressed the importance of "making full use of several thousand rai of land" at the airport to serve both military and civilian purposes.

The navy has allocated 3,000 of the 17,000 rai of land for airport development. The rest is reserved for the military, said navy commander Adm Na Arinit.

Further development of the airport includes a plan to build a regional aviation hub which will become a new aircraft maintenance centre.

THAI Airways International already runs its aircraft repair centre at the airport. The facility can currently accommodate up to three planes at once.

"We have to increase this capacity. We must be able to fix the planes of other airlines too," Gen Prayut said, stressing this is a crucial part of making the airport an aviation hub.

Authorities believe if the hub idea eventually comes to fruition, it will lead to brighter economic prospects for Rayong and other nearby provinces on the eastern coast. Rayong is now ranked first in provincial gross domestic product due to its strong agricultural and tourism industries.

At present, Thai AirAsia, Bangkok Airways, Kan Airlines, R Airlines and China Southern Airlines use U-Tapao as it is closer to Pattaya than the two Bangkok airports.

The Transport Ministry, meanwhile, will establish transport links between U-Tapao, Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports.

The number of lanes on the Pattaya-Sattahip section of Sukhumvit Road leading to the airport will be doubled to four.

The State Railway of Thailand is studying the expansion of the eastern route to U-Tapao airport. An additional track will be built 6km from the Plu Ta Luang station to the airport to serve people catching trains from Pattaya.

The transport and logistical groundwork is part of the three-phase U-Tapao development master plan.

The first phase, from last year until next year, aims to increase the airport's capacity to serve three million passengers a year, relying on existing infrastructure. The navy will remain the administrator of the airport.

In the second phase from 2018 to 2020, airport infrastructure will be improved to increase capacity to five million passengers a year.

The final phase from 2020 onward will involve the study of development plans to determine how the airport can serve the growth of the aviation business.

Around 800,000 passengers are expected to pass through U-Tapao airport this year, bringing in 120 million baht in revenue, which triples last year's earnings.

Source:
courtesy of BANGKOK POST

by Amornrat Mahitthirook

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