According to a report by Phuket Info Center, which operates under the Phuket office of the Ministry of Interior, the news was attributed to comments by AoT President Kerati Kijmanawat, in response Prime Minister Srettha Thavisiin visiting Chiang Mai earlier this week to discuss the construction of a new airport in Lamphun province to alleviate air traffic congestion at Chiang Mai International Airport.
The construction of the two new airports has been branded the ‘Andaman-Lamphun’ project, with AoT to spend B140 billion baht on building both airports, with each airport costing B70bn to complete.
The aim is to boost tourism to Chiang Mai, and to the Phuket region, by building two new airports ‒ one in Lamphun, the other in Khok Kloi, Phang Nga ‒ said the Phuket Info Center report, which referred to the construction of the two airports as both the “Andaman-Lamphun” project and the “Phuket-Chiang Mai” project.
According to the report posted by Phuket Info Center, Mr Keerati said* that AoT will launch yet another feasibility study, including Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requirements before the end of the year. The study is expected to take eight months to complete.
After the study has been completed, the project will enter the process of designing investment details, including area boundaries, construction methods, budget and an EIA report
The project will then be presented to the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDB) for approval, before the project is submitted to Cabinet to consider for approval.
The detailed design process and request for approval is expected to take three years before the project is opened to bidding. Construction of the airport will take approximately four years.
The entire process is expected to take seven years, with the airport in Khok Kloi hoped to open to serve tourists by 2030-2031.
Mr Kerati further said that at present Phuket Airport serves approximately 12 million passengers per year, while Krabi Airport serves 5mn passengers per year, giving a total demand for the two airports to serve 17mn tourists each year. Meanwhile, the demand for travel to Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga provinces is increasing, he said.
“There is an urgent need to speed up the construction of the ‘Andaman Airport’,” Mr Kerati was quoted as saying.
“Currently, flight time allocation (slots) at Phuket Airport are full, and there is not enough support,” he said.
“Initially, there will be two runways for flexibility in accommodating aircraft [at the new airport], and the airport will be able to accommodate 40mn passengers per year,” he added.
Although the airport is expected to cost B70bn, AoT will be the only investor because it already has sufficient cash flow. Construction of the new airport is to be divided into two phases, with the first phase to allow the airport to accommodate 15mn passengers a year, he said.
Mr Kerati also said that AoT had originally studied the construction site for “Phuket Airport No. 2” and that a suitable area was found in Khok Kloi Subdistrict in Phang Nga Province. The site covers about 6,000 rai, “most of which” was already government land.
“This area will be used to construct the ‘Andaman Airport’,” he said.
* Despite the same news being repeated by many Thai news websites, PM Srettha, the Cabinet and new Minister for Tourism and Sports Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol have all yet to publicly confirm the decision to move ahead with the new airport in Phang Nga.
AoT itself has yet to confirm the news through its own public platforms. According to the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNT), the main state news agency for the country, PM Srettha’s visit to Chiang Mai and talks with Chiang Mai airport and tourism officials focussed solely on the new airport to be built in Lamphun.