The cranes will be pulled away within two weeks for a Christmas opening of Terminal 2 at Don Mueang airport, boosting passenger flow by a third. (Photo by Sarot Meksophawannakul)
The second phase of Don Mueang airport’s expansion will be launched late this month to accommodate an expected surge in passenger numbers next year.
Prasong Poontaneat, board chairman of Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT), said Sunday the renovated Terminal 2 building will be able to serve the boost in travellers, expected to increase from 90,000 per day this year to 120,000-130,000 a day next year, an increase of at least 33%.
Mr Prasong said the building will open on Dec 25 or 26 to handle the high numbers of passengers expected over new year.
Under the second phase development, the airport will increase its capacity from 18.5 million passengers a year to 30 million.
There will be 42 check-in counters in the Terminal 2 building.
The check-in zones will be divided into six lanes, with seven counters each.
The check-in system will be similar to that at Suvarnabhumi airport, and include surveillance cameras and bomb detection systems. A total of 44 toilets are also being provided.
Mr Prasong said airport facilities will come into service first in the main zones such as the main arrivals and departures area and airside, as some toilets and shops remain under construction.
He said 267 commercial zones have also been built at the airport. They will all be ready for occupancy by January or February.
“The main systems have been installed at the new terminal building which will be ready late this month. We will roll out service areas gradually, with areas where work is finished opened to serve passengers first,” he said.
After the launch of the Terminal 2 building, certain parts of Terminal 1 will be closed for maintenance to modernise systems.
He added the AoT had now worked out a new scheme to develop Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports.
It also aims to speed up the third-phase development of Don Mueang airport to serve a projected surge in passenger numbers, expected to increase from 28 million this year to more than 30 million a year in the next 12 months.
In the third phase, Mr Prasong said his agency planned to develop another terminal as a junction terminal to connect with the Red Line electric railway.
The line, which is now under construction opposite the airport, will connect Bang Sue and Rangsit.
The agency has worked out the third-phase development of Don Mueang airport which will be proposed to the AoT board by January next year, Mr Nitinai added.
Car park buildings with a capacity of 5,000 vehicles will also be built, he added.
Meanwhile, AoT president Nitinai Sirismatthakarn said 80% of the commercial areas at Don Mueang airport have been reserved by the private sector.
Mr Nitinai said 10,000 sq m of the airport’s commercial zones were separated into 408 blocks.
Most of them have been occupied, with more than 100 business operators putting their names forward so far. This will result in an increase in AoT’s income next year.
Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/travel/tourists-and-expats/786425/don-mueang-terminal-2-set-to-reopen
