Thailand plans to increase Suvarnabhumi capacity to 120 million — Bangkok Post

In Thailand, Airports of Thailand plans to increase Suvarnabhumi Airport’s annual passenger handling capacity to 120 million over six to seven years. The plan includes the construction of a southern terminal and a fourth runway, Bangkok Post reports.

Terminal and fourth runway

Airports of Thailand President Pavina Jariyathitphong said that in the 2026 fiscal year, the airport’s current annual capacity stood at about 60 million passengers. Of this total, the main terminal is designed for 45 million passengers per year, while the SAT-1 terminal is designed for 15 million.

The company plans to soon submit Suvarnabhumi’s fifth development plan, together with the East Expansion project, to the cabinet. Construction of the southern terminal and the fourth runway is expected to be completed within six to seven years.

East Expansion

Terms of reference have already been prepared for the East Expansion project, and procurement is due to begin next year. The project is expected to take four years to implement. It provides for expanding service areas, including check-in counters and baggage conveyors, to handle at least 10 million passengers per year.

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According to Jariyathitphong, together these projects are expected to raise Suvarnabhumi’s annual capacity to 120 million passengers. Airports of Thailand also plans to redesign the duty-free area to establish goods collection points in the arrivals area. The number of shops may decrease due to the redistribution of space.

This month, the airport is also preparing to introduce a premium service for businesspeople, celebrities and passengers with special needs. A separate fast-track lane for immigration clearance is also provided at the airport.

Don Mueang development

The company is also preparing to submit to the cabinet a plan for the third phase of development of Don Mueang Airport. Its budget is proposed to be increased from 36 billion baht allocated in the 2022 fiscal year to 69 billion baht. The plan is expected to raise Don Mueang’s annual passenger handling capacity to 40 million.