BANGKOK – The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) on May 17 announced its three-stage plan to become the region’s aviation hub, increasing air traveller capacity to 270 million people per year by 2037 and becoming among the top five countries in air logistics in the Asia Pacific.
The CAAT said the plan was part of the government’s “Ignite Thailand” initiative announced in February, which aims to make the country a hub for tourism, medical treatment, food, aviation, logistics, electric vehicles, digital economy and finance by 2030.
Under the three-stage plan, the CAAT will increase the capacity of Thailand’s airport facilities to accommodate 1.2 million flights and 180 million passengers per year by 2025 in the short-term. It has also set the target of achieving minimum connecting time (MCT) for international flight connections at not over 75 minutes.
In the second stage, – 2026-2028 – total capacity at airports must reach 1.4 million flights and 210 million passengers per year by 2028, while the MCT must not exceed 60 minutes, the CAAT said.
In the third stage – 2029-2037 – the CAAT aims to achieve a capacity of 2.1 million flights and 270 million passengers, and reduce the MCT to less than 45 minutes.
By 2037, Thailand should be among the top five countries in the Asia Pacific with the most airfreight volume per year, the CAAT said.
To achieve the goal, the CAAT said it would need to coordinate with other agencies in aviation and related fields to support each other’s operations and goals. They include the Department of Airports, Airports of Thailand Plc, Aeronautical Radio of Thailand, Civil Aviation Training Centre, and Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel.
“The CAAT’s vision is to prepare Thailand’s air infrastructure for future economic growth, strengthen and expand air logistics routes to connect with the global network, and promote domestic and international tourism,” the agency said. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
