National airports operator Airports of Thailand (AoT) plans to spend 76.5 billion baht ($2.3 billion) to expand Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport.
This will increase the airport's capacity from 65 million passengers a year to 80 million passengers a year, says AoT. It hopes to begin construction early next year, says an AOT spokeswoman.
Of the 80 million, 60 million will be international passengers while the remaining 20 million will be domestic passengers.
The expansion will be adequate to accommodate passengers and air traffic volume until 2019, says AoT.
"The plans includes the construction and improvement of facilities to handle continuously increasing air traffic volume in an adequate and effective manner, thereby enabling Thailand to maintain its position as South-east Asia's aviation hub," it adds.
AoT says the expansion is needed because the main passenger terminal building will be congested from 2014, despite plans for a domestic passenger terminal building.
In October, the AoT board approved a 9.1 billion baht baht to construct the domestic terminal building from fiscal year 2010 to 2013.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news