Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport five-year expansion plan approved as it gears up for regional challenge
Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) opened in 2006 in the unenviable position of being 'full' - that is, capacity-constrained - from day one, prompting a rapid reversal of the intention to designate the previous gateway airport for the capital, Don Mueang, as a maintenance facility and its redeployment as a 'low cost' airport.
Since then some considerable investment has gone into Don Mueang, and Suvarnabhumi has waited its turn.
That time has come, and a five-year plan has been approved by the operator, Airports of Thailand, which will lavish as much as USD7 billion from its own resources on across-the-board infrastructure enhancements.
In the future it has to be expected that Suvarnabhumi's activities will be mainly those of international legacy, full service, and alliance airlines, with associated hubbing, while Don Mueang focuses on budget and domestic traffic.
The investment will help Suvarnabhumi establish that role in the face of strong competition from major airports in neighbouring countries.
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