DoA Acting Director-General Thawi Kesi-samang said the huge investment in key regional airports is “urgent mission”. The department plans to conduct bids for the projects from early next year, he added.
Among them are the 1.3-billion-baht construction of taxiways at Krabi airport, 800-million-baht and and 775-million-baht plans to build new terminals at Narathiwat and Buri Ram airports respectively and projects to expand airport bays (500 million baht) and an international terminal (200 million baht) at Surat Thani airport.
There was also urgent need to step up construction of a new airport in Yala's Betong district, said Thawi, noting that it is scheduled to open in the middle of next year.
In the 10-year airport development plan worth 35 billion baht, up to 27 billion baht will be allocated for major upgrades at 17 airports between 2019 and 2022. The rest will go to further airport development until 2027.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob proposed extending the runway length at 38 airports from 2,100 to 2,400 metres to serve large aircraft.
