The celebration focussed on the ‘official opening’ of the airport in October, 1988. However, Phuket airport at that time had already served as the island’s air transport portal for decades.
Phuket airport was designated an ‘international airport’ in 1976 under the-then Department of Commercial Aviation (later renamed Department of Civil Aviation and now the ‘Department of Airports’).
Following a B516-million expansion of the international terminal completed in 2007, the airport capacity was increased to 6.5 million passengers per year ‒ a limit already exceeded just three years later, in 2010.
A major expansion project, including construction of the current International Terminal, was completed and officially opened in 2016, allowing the airport to accommodate 12.5 million passengers a year.
At that time the airport was again already outdated, serving 15,107,185 passengers that year, with more than half being international passengers.
Of note, the celebrations on Friday (Oct 6) marked an occasion predating the existence of Airports of Thailand (AoT).
AoT was handed operations of Phuket airport after AoT was established on Sept 20, 2002, as a result of the privatisation of the state-owned Airports Authority of Thailand (AAT).
AoT remains a government-owned public company, with the Ministry of Finance retaining 70% of shares in the company. The current Minister of Finance is Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.
Regardless, ignoring the odd history and state majority ownership of AoT, Mr Monchai on Friday heralded the billions to be spent by the government on expanding Phuket airport further to accommodate 18 million passengers a year and construction of a new airport in Phang Nga.
The celebration endeared itself with the motto, “Safety is the standard. Service is the heart.”
Marking a clarification of the original official opening of Phuket airport, Mr Monchai noted that the occasion occurred on Oct 8 every year.
The number of flights and passengers traveling through Phuket airport has continued to increase, Mr Monchai said.
“From Sept 2022 through Sept 2023, there were 86,741 domestic and international flights and 13,606,638 passengers during the high season of Phuket,” he said.
“The number of flights and passengers between October and December 2023 is forecast to see 26,000 flights and more than 4.1 million passengers,” he added.
The visa-exemption measures for Chinese and Kazakhstani nationals will be the main driver for tourist arrivals during the upcoming months, Mr Monchai noted.
“It is also an important mechanism for driving the economy and overall tourism of Phuket Province,” he said.
“In addition, in the fiscal year 2024, Phuket Airport will accelerate operations in accordance with the Phuket Airport Development Plan, Phase 2 (2023 - 2027), which will be able to accommodate increased air traffic volume from 20 flights per hour to 25 flights per hour, and to accommodate no less than 18 million passengers per year using the construction budget of approximately B6 billion,” he said.
The expansion will see the new aircraft parking bays added, the construction of a new Ground Service Equipment (GSE) area and the construction of the expansion of the fence around the airside area.
The International Terminal Extension will see construction at both passenger and support buildings, and a “bridge” connecting main buildings at the airport.
Further work under the project includes ‘Airport Support Systems’, namely public utility systems, Mr Monchai said.
Work to expand and improve the water supply system, the electrical system and the airport’s wastewater treatment plant will start. Bidding for contractors will open early next year, with construction to begin by November 2024, Mr Monchai added.
“The construction period will take three years, which according to the plan is expected to be completed by 2027,” he said.
“Phuket Airport is ready to develop and drive support for ongoing change, including giving importance to taking care of communities, society and the environment under the concept of being an airport that is a good citizen of society and is a good home for Corporate Citizenship,” he said.
However, unlike in previous years, the celebrations this year gave no update on its restitution to local residents for increasing noise from aircraft taking off and landing at Phuket airport.
At the ‘anniversary celebrations’ in 2019, the Phuket International Airport General Manager at the time, Thanee Chuangchoo, noted that AoT had paid more than B9 million to local residents as compensation for noise pollution and was to spend a further B976.5mn to acquire land that is home to 82 houses where noise levels from passing aircraft exceed residential limits.