Ministry to back six new airport projects

The Transport Ministry is looking to support six airport development and construction projects, preparing the country to be the region’s transportation hub.
Deputy Transport Minister Manaporn Charoensri said on Monday that representatives from the ministry’s Airport Department, the Airport of Thailand, the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand, and other related agencies had recently attended the 59th Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Conference in the Philippines.
The conference, held from Oct 14-18 and attended by international aeronautical authorities from 47 countries, discussed the economic development of air transportation, and the number of passengers was estimated to double in the next 20 years.
She said this requires heavy infrastructure investment, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to her, the conference also addressed its “Net Zero Roadmap: Decarbonise Your Airport” project, encouraging zero emissions achievement, and advocated transportation equality.
Following the conference, Ms Manaporn said the ministry is preparing to support the Airport Department’s nationwide infrastructure investment plans.
The plans include enhancing the capacity of the existing airports as well as developing new airports in six provinces, namely Mukdahan, Bueng Kan, Satun, Phayao, Kalasin, and Phatthalung.
Ms Manaporn said the ministry had instructed the Airport Department to prioritise the designs that promote user safety and install enough up-to-date safety equipment for current measures to help with security screening.
It also instructed the department to adopt a universal design that helps with accessibility for disabled users while promoting transportation equality.
She added that the new airport projects are urged to be ecologically and sustainably developed toward zero carbon emissions and the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) Level 5.
Danai Ruangsorn, director of the Airport Department, said the airport projects in Mukdahan, Bueng Kan, and Satun are in the design process and undergoing an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), while a budget to conduct an EIA for the Phayao airport next year has already been approved.
The Kalasin airport and Phatthalung projects are in a feasibility study phase.
He added that the airport projects will support transportation equality and encourage the employment of people of various values and cultural backgrounds, under the concepts of sustainability, flexibility, and comprehensiveness.