Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport’s new runway to open at end of 2024
Expansion will increase plane handling capacity of Bangkok’s gateway airport by 53%
The third runway at Suvarnabhumi Airport will be ready for operation at the end of the year, according to Airports of Thailand (AoT), lifting aircraft handling capacity to 94 planes per hour from 68 now.
A full-scale trial of the new runway was carried out on Thursday, with participants including Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai), Thai Airways International and Bangkok Flight Services.
According to Kittipong Kittikachorn, the airport’s general manager, a civilian aircraft successfully took off from and later landed on the new runway.
The trial focused on the physical aspects of the runway, including taxiways and supporting equipment, and its overall safety, said Mr Kittipong.
Earlier on Aug 14, the Royal Thai Air Force used its ATR-72 aircraft to conduct a similar trial on the runway, which was also a success, Mr Kittipong said.
Following the trial on Thursday, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and related agencies briefed representatives from Suvarnabhumi Airport on the improvements that need to be carried out before the runway is officially opened.
Mr Kittipong said the new runway would increase the airport’s handling capacity from 68 to 94 aircraft per hour, which will put it on par with leading airports in the region.
In related news, AoT director Kirati Kijmanawat said the company earned a net profit of 14.9 billion baht in the first nine months of its fiscal year to June 30. That was an increase of 178% from 5.36 billion in the same period a year earlier, when international travel volume was considerably lower.
The company earned 50.76 billion baht in revenue, up 53.3% year-on-year, while operational expenses rose 23.6% to 29.5 billion, said Mr Kirati.
The improved financial performance is in line with increased traffic seen at all the six airports managed by SET-listed AoT. All told, they handled 90 million passengers, up 21.2% from the same period a year earlier.
Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2851981/new-suvarnabhumi-runway-to-open-at-year-end
