National—
On March 2nd, 2024, Airports of Thailand PCL (AOT) expedited the development of six Thai national airports with an estimated investment of 210 billion baht in accordance with Thai government policies to make Thai airports an aviation hub, with the goal of being in the top 20 global ranking within five years.
The Six Thai national airports under the supervision of AOT are Suvarnabhumi Airport, Don Mueang Airport, Chiang Mai Airport, Mae Fah Luang Airport (Chiang Mai), Chiang Rai Airport, Phuket Airport, and Hat Yai Airport (Songkhla).
Mr. Thanet Tantipiriyakit, president of the Phuket Tourist Association, publicly revealed that in terms of tourism, aviation transportation was very crucial. He remarked that having an aviation hub in Thailand that connects to international destinations worldwide would potentially boost tourism in Thailand.
However, national airlines must have sufficient flights to meet the demand. Although the goal was having comprehensive international flights, the profit made from some flights was not worth investment and needed to include income from other flights that were in demand, said Thanet.
The most difficult problems were traffic congestion and public transportation which needed to be solved first as local government officials could not handle the tasks, added Thanet.
Mr. Chai Eamsiri, the CEO of Thai Airways International PCL, publicly revealed regarding the aviation hub that to meet the demand, the flights must be sufficient and the time spent on connecting flights should be short and convenient for passengers.
Furthermore, Thai Airways planned to increase the number of flights by importing 45 more aircraft and the first lot of units would be ready within 2027.
Meanwhile, the company aimed to invest in establishing a new Aircraft Repair Center for maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), the special economic zone in eastern Thailand, with collaboration from international companies, concluded Chai.
