Suvarnabhumi Airport should be developed into sole hub: IATA

International Air Transport Association recommended Suvarnabhumi Airport be developed as Thailand's sole hub in 2030, when Don Mueang Airport would cease operating scheduled services altogether (Bangkok Post, 22-Dec-2010). A report released by IATA suggests that between now and 2015 Don Mueang continue its role of providing point-to-point scheduled domestic service to allow time for Suvarnabhumi to develop the additional capacity needed to meet rising demand. IATA believes that Airports of Thailand must expand Suvarnabhumi's handling capacity to 60-65 million passengers p/a from 45 million now to serve the single-airport policy as well as construction of a third runway and other related infrastructure must be completed and operational by 2024 to meet rising passenger and aircraft flows. That timeframe requires AoT to receive government approval for the project by 2015. The IATA report will be considered along with another study now being conducted by the UN's International Civil Aviation Organisation and due in Feb-2011.