THAILAND TRAVEL NEWS: The Thai government plans to spend Bt995 million ($US29 million) to upgrade the Vietnam War era U-Tapao-Pattaya International Airport into a modern international air hub.

Procurement plans for the military-run airport are expected to be submitted to the government within two months, with construction expected to take approximately 18 months to complete.

The plans call for construction of a 25,200 sq. meter passenger terminal capable of handling 1,500 passengers per hour, greatly increasing the current capacity of the existing 4,280 sq. meter facility.

New parking facilities, fuel depot, fire-fighting systems, x-ray machines and improvements to other equipment and landscaping are also planned.

While upgrades to U-Tapao have been talked about for years, it wasn’t until yellow-shirted anti-government demonstrators shut down Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang international airports in November last year that the need for a third modern facility became more urgent.

The current airport can only handle about 30 commercial and military flights a day, and when thousands of passengers were shuttled to U-Tapao last year they were subjected to six-hour waits after landing, check-in lines stretching into the parking lot, insufficient catering and backed up toilets.

Rear Admiral Surapong Aiyasanon, U-Tapao Airport Deputy Director, said, “the development plan came from the government which realizes there is a need to develop it to be a backup airport in case of an emergency situation in Bangkok, as well as to drive future tourism.”

Rear Admiral Surapong said the aviation department along with military engineers will prepare the procurement plan and submit it to the Airports of Thailand Public Co. Ltd. board in two months and it is hoped that construction can commence in the second quarter of 2010, he said.

By John Le Fevre

Thailand Travel News for June 10, 2009