Hat Yai International Airport will undergo a major renovation amid an increasing number of passengers.
Hat Yai Airport is a gateway to five southern provinces, namely Songkhla, Satun, Narathiwat, Yala, and Pattani. It also has direct flights to Malaysia and Singapore. At present, the airport is capable of handling 2.5 million passengers a year.
In 2016, the airport saw more than 3.9 million passengers, which far exceeded its capacity, causing delays, long lines of travelers, and over crowding.
Expecting the number of passengers to reach 4.5 million and up to 31,000 flights in 2019, the airport will now undergo a transformation which includes enlarging the apron, enlarging the passenger hall, adding more pit stops, improving the taxiway and the taxiway lighting system, and installing an intrusion prevention system.
The renovations will be completed by 2019, according to airport officials.
