Construction boom: how airports in Thailand and SEA are preparing for the influx of passengers
In recent years, the Asia-Pacific region has seen a real aviation boom. Airports in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries are actively expanding their infrastructure to double the number of passengers served by 2030. What is behind this trend and how justified is such optimism?
Expansion of Bangkok's air gateway
According to Suvarnabhumi International Airport, by 2025 it is expected to handle 65 million passengers annually. That's almost one and a half times more than in pre-pandemic 2019. To cope with the flow, a new terminal opened here last year, increasing capacity by a third. In addition, plans are in the works to build a third runway.
Modernization has also affected Bangkok's Donmyang Airport, which serves domestic airlines. It is planned to integrate it with the capital by means of a high-speed railroad. However, the implementation of the project is slowed down by difficulties with the purchase of land plots.
Utapao Resort Airport in Rayong Province is also due for a large-scale reconstruction. It will allow to increase the flow of tourists to popular Pattaya. In general, the government is investing in aviation infrastructure across the country to make flying more affordable.
Billions of dollars to modernize Vietnam's airports
Neighboring Vietnam plans to spend more than $4 billion on airport expansion over the next decade. The flagship project is the reconstruction of Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. By 2030, its capacity should increase from 25 to 60 million passengers per year.
In addition to the capital's air hub, airports in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Nha Trang and other cities are being modernized. These investments are designed to double the air passenger traffic in Vietnam in the next decade.
The authorities' focus on air travel is due to the growth of the population's income and the emergence of a mass middle class in the country. Experts predict that the trend will continue in the foreseeable future.
New airports in Cambodia and other countries of the region
Neighboring Cambodia has taken an unprecedented step by allowing China to build two new airports - near Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. At the same time, they are located far from the cities, which will create inconvenience for passengers. But it will allow to increase the tourist flow, on which the government relies.
Malaysia and Singapore have already started a large-scale modernization of their air hubs. In the Philippines, several projects to expand airports in the vicinity of Manila are being implemented simultaneously. Most of the new terminals are being equipped with "smart" technologies - from automated check-in to passenger flow separation systems.
Experts believe that significant growth will be associated with air travel between China and Southeast Asia after the abolition of visas. However, time will tell to what extent the optimistic forecasts will come true.
Author of the article: Ekaterina Antonova
