A second terminal is expected to be up and running at the navy-operated U-Tapao airport next month.
Airport director Rear Adm Worapol Tongpricha said construction of the facility is 85% complete and will be ready for operations in May.
The new terminal will raise U-Tapao’s annual passenger handling capacity to 3 million people a year.
He said the estimated 620 million baht upgrade is to accommodate an expected growth in passenger numbers at the airport which currently provides 12 flights a day.
Airlines currently using the airport include Thai AirAsia, China Southern Airlines and Bangkok Airways. Charter flights also use the airport.
A round of bidding is likely to be called soon to find business operators to commercially develop the new terminal, Rear Adm Worapol said. The whole bidding process should be completed by May, he added.
Talks with the Transport Ministry will also take place soon to outline the planned development of an aviation industrial estate at U-Tapao, Rear Adm Worapol said.
Last year the ministry approved a 15-year plan to build an aviation industrial estate at the airport.
The first phase includes construction of an aircraft repair and maintenance depot under an estimated budget of 15 billion baht.
"Construction work on the depot, which will be located east of the runway, will begin this year. So we need to talk to the ministry to finalise plans," he said.
A Transport Ministry source said the depot should be completed within the first two years of the industrial estate development plan.
It is hoped the depot will stimulate original equipment manufacturer investments to manufacture components for products to supply the aviation industry.
