“The project is moving far slower than originally promised, despite the airport already operating near full capacity,” Mr Thaneth said at a meeting held at Splash Beach Resort in Mai Khao on Thursday (Nov 6).
“According to the first plan, the second phase was expected to be completed around 2028-2029,” he said. “But after today’s meeting, officials said completion may not come until 2031. That means waiting another nine years.”
“By then, 18 million passengers will no longer be enough. Phuket should be planning for at least 25mn a year,” he added.
Mr Thaneth noted that Phuket is already handling between 15-17mn passengers annually, putting growing pressure on airport operations, ground transport and tourism services.
“Without expansion, Phuket risks losing international competitiveness and flight slots to competing destinations,” he added.
“Phuket cannot wait until 2031,” Mr Thaneth said.
The delay was confirmed at the meeting on Thursday, which was led by Phuket Vice Governor Samawit Suphanphai, joined by Chief of Phuket Airport General Manager Monchai Tanode his Deputy Chief Tuanchai Tansuriyawong, along with government agencies and business operators.
Phase 2 of the expansion at Phuket Airport includes major improvements to engineering and service systems and the expansion of the international terminal, increasing annual capacity, Monchai explained.
Mr Monchai said the project design is now more than 50% complete.
“We expect design completion in the second quarter of 2026, then move to budgeting and construction,” he said. “Contractor selection should be finalised by the end of 2026, and construction should begin in 2027. The build will take about two and a half to three years.”
From January-October this year, Phuket Airport handled more than 90,000 flights, expected to reach 120,000 by the end of the year.
Passenger numbers stand at around 14 million and may exceed 18 million by late 2025 - even before Phase 2 construction begins, he noted.
Vice Governor Samawit said the expansion is critical as Phuket’s economy depends almost entirely on travel and services.
“In 2024, Phuket earned 92% of its total revenue from tourism, welcoming more than 14mn visitors and generating over B500 billion
“In the first seven months of 2025, more than 8mn tourists have already brought in over B300bn,” Vice Governor Samawith noted at the seminar.
“With these numbers, Phuket must accelerate basic infrastructure development, especially the airport, which connects travelers from around the world,” he said.