Airports of Thailand, which operates the country’s six biggest airports, has announced a big rise in expected costs for its planned airport expansion programme.
Total expenditure could run to nearlyTHB200 billion (US$5.5 billion) the state-controlled airport operator said.
About THB150 billion of this will be spent on upgrades at Bangkok’s two main airports Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueng.
AoT has also set aside THB12.8 billion for the expansion of Chiang Mai, Thailand’s fourtbusiest airport.
AoT management are finalising master development schemes for its other airports at Phuket, Chiang Rai and Hat Yai which will be presented to the AoT board later this year, AoT president Nitinai Sirismatthakarn.
More details will be released later this month, he said.
Passenger capacity at the two Bangkok airports will more than double by 2030 to a combined 150 million.
Work will begin on the long-delayed expansion of Suvarnabhumi Airport this summer which will add a third runway and an additional passenger terminal.
Tourism authorities last week said it expects International visitor arrivals to reach about 16.67 million in January-June 2016, up 13% on the same period in 2015.
