The Ministry of Transport wants to see Suvarnabhumi airport among the world's top 20 airports by 2029, in an effort to bring it in line with the government's plan to turn Thailand into a global aviation hub, government spokesman Chai Wacharonke said on Sunday.
The goal was set by Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister, Suriya Jungrungreangkit, after the airport serving Greater Bangkok was ranked 58th on the 2024 World's Best Airport list by Skytrax, a UK-based consultancy website which regularly ranks airlines and airports across the world.
Last year, the airport was ranked 68th, Mr Chai noted.
Meanwhile, Don Mueang airport, Bangkok's hub for low-cost carriers, was ranked in the top 10 on Skytrax's list of 2024 World's Best Low-Cost Airline Terminals.
Suvarnabhumi airport is one of the region's busiest airports, and by 2029, the government wants the airport to be able to handle 170 million passengers and serve one million flights per year, said the spokesman.
By 2034, the airport should be able to welcome 210 million passengers and handle 1.2 million flights per year, he added.
Citing figures provided by the Transport Ministry, Mr Chai said 81.05 million passengers passed through Suvarnabhumi airport between October 2023 and May 2024 — about 83.4% of the figures reported in the same period in 2019-2020, right before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
Of the 81.05 million passengers who passed through the airport, 48.95 million people travelled on domestic flights, while the rest on international flights, he said.
He said the airport handled 490,970 flights over the period, which is about 81% of the total flights handled by the airport in 2019.
“The prime minister intends to ramp up the development of Thailand’s airports under the government’s plan to turn the country into an aviation hub. These airports’ capacity will continue to be upgraded and we will continue to improve passengers' experience,” said Mr Chai.
Suvarnabhumi is currently undergoing an expansion that would see an additional 81,000 square metres of space built for the convenience of travellers.
Authorities at the airport are also working to ensure the airport's third runway is ready for operations in September.
Once operational, the airport will be able to handle 94 flights per hour, up from 68 per hour at present, Mr Chai said.
Separately, Mr Suriya said he has instructed authorities at Krabi airport to prepare for a spike in the number of flights and passengers at the end of this year, as more airlines have asked to book flight slots at the airport to meet demand from travellers.
The airport will handle over 160 flights per week over the next few months, he said, citing a report on new airport slot requests received from the 154the Slot Conference of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), held on June 11–13 in Colombia's capital Bogota.
Ten airlines have asked to operate scheduled direct flights to/from Krabi airport, as well as three international charter flight operators, said Mr Suriya.
The 10 airlines are Flydubai, Scoot Tigerair, LOT Polish Airlines, TUI Fly, Jetstar Asia Airways, Thai AirAsia, AirAsia Berhad, Bangkok Airways, Shanghai Airlines and China Eastern Airlines, according to Danai Ruangsorn, acting director-general of the Department of Airports (DoA).
The three charter flight operators are TUI fly, LOT Polish Airlines and Neos Airlines, said Mr Danai, adding that Eastar Jet and Spring Airlines have also requested for more information.
Last year, only five airlines operated international flights to and from the Krabi airport.
In total, the airport saw 3,006 flights and welcomed about 430,000 passengers last year, he said.
The increase in the number of requests for airport slots at Krabi airport showed the area's increasing popularity with international tourists, as well as those looking to reach other destinations via Krabi airport, he said.
Mr Danai assured the airport is capable of handling the expected increase.
He noted a new terminal, which is currently being built, will be ready next year.
With the new terminal, the airport will be capable of handling 3,000 more passengers per hour.
At present, the airport can handle up to 25 flights per hour, he said.
