Thailand’s New Airport Soon to Open

With the imminent opening of Bangkok’s new Suvarnabhumi Airport in September 2006, Thailand is set to offer international investors an even more advanced transport infrastructure than at present.

The new airport will initially cope with some 30 million passengers per year when it first opens.  This figure will be increased to 45 million within a short space of time and, with the opening of two additional runways, the airport will be able to cater for over 100 million passengers per year and operate some 76 flights per hour.

Named Suvarnabhumi (meaning “Golden Land”) by His Majesty the King, the airport is expected to be the most modern in Asia. The Thai government has prioritized it as part of the “national agenda” of strategic importance to Thailand’s future economic and transport development.

The entire airport will occupy a total area of 8,000 acres, making it five times larger than the present airport at Don Muang.  At an astounding 563,000 square metres, the passenger terminal will be the world’s largest single building structure.

Meanwhile, in addition to Suvarnabhumi Airport, a 28-km overhead rail link between it and downtown Bangkok is now under construction which will cut travelling time between the airport and the city centre to only 15 minutes.

In addition, thanks to a number of new roads also under construction, the distance from Bangkok is expected to be only 30 minutes.  These roads will boost accessibility from various parts of the city as well as to nearby provinces like Chonburi, in which the resort of Pattaya is located.

Property purchasers and investors are encouraged by the government’s firm resolve to facilitate new economic activity in Thailand.  As an emerging market, these key infrastructure developments look set to create a solid foundation for a success story of the future.