Thursday marked the opening of the new satellite terminal at Suvarnabhumi International Airport following a preliminary launch.
The new satellite terminal, dubbed Satellite 1 (SAT-1), will increase the overall handling capacity of the country’s primary international gateway to 60 million a year from 45 million, said Kittipong Kittikachorn, director of Suvarnabhumi airport.
He stated that passenger traffic at the 17-year-old airport has been progressively recovering from the slowdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The airport recorded 59.4% more takeoffs and landings in the current fiscal year, which ends on September 30, compared to the previous fiscal year.
During the same period, the total number of passengers processed through the airport reached 44,4 million, up 153.4% from the previous year.
Suvarnabhumi airport has welcomed 756.47 million passengers on 4.74 million flights in its 17 years of operation. Mr. Kittipong reported that the total quantity of cargo transported through the airport reached 20.95 million tonnes.
Since the end of the pandemic, the number of passengers using the airport has continued to rise, prompting the decision to construct SAT-1 and a third runway to enable more aircraft to take off and land simultaneously.
Additionally, a new Individual Carrier System (ICS) has been implemented at SAT-1 to increase the terminal’s baggage handling capacity, allowing for a more efficient transfer of baggage between SAT-1 and the main terminal at Suvarnabhumi airport.
Mr. Kittipong stated that SAT-1 is anticipated to be entirely operational by the end of the year. He added that the satellite terminal will increase the airport’s annual passenger handling capacity from 45 million to 60 million.
He added that the third runway, which is currently under construction, will be operational by July 2025. It will increase aircraft handling capacity from 68 to 94 flights per hour.
The expansion of Suvarnabhumi airport’s overall handling capacity includes the construction of an annex to the east of the main terminal, which will increase the terminal’s total area by 66,000 square meters.
The expansion will enable the airport to accommodate an additional 15 million passengers annually.
The cabinet has approved the initiative, and the procurement process will commence next year, according to Mr. Kittipong.
Additionally, Suvarnabhumi airport will increase its cargo handling capacity through the implementation of the Free Zone Data Management System and the introduction of the EZ Cargo application.
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