Construction of the terminal is more than 80 percent complete and on target to be fully operational by May, Ms Monruidee added.
The new terminal will include 10 aircraft parking bays, as well as four gangways for passengers to embark and disembark aircraft.
“The new international terminal will be able to handle 12.5 million passengers annually, which is almost double the existing one, which can take only 6.5 million passengers per year,” Ms Monrudee said.
“But we are not only rushing the project to be done according to the plan, but also ensuring that the airport meets the standards by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand,” she added.
“And of course the facilities at the new terminal will include brand-new duty free shops, a shopping area and restaurants,” Ms Monrudee said.
The new terminal is part of a major overhaul of the airport costing more than B5.7 billion, which began more than two years ago.
Concerns have already been raised that Phuket Airport will be over-capacity soon after the expansion project is complete, and a B3 billion “upgrade to the upgrade” to raise passenger throughput capacity to 18 million has already been tabled. (See story here.)