Transport Ministry Scraps Plan to Transfer Regional Airports to AoT
The Transport Ministry has decided to abandon its plan to transfer the management of three regional airports from the Department of Airports (DoA) to Airports of Thailand (AoT), citing concerns over budget allocation and human resources.
DoA to Retain Control Over Key Regional Airports
Deputy Transport Minister Manaporn Charoensri confirmed that Udon Thani, Buriram, and Krabi airports will remain under DoA management. The initial plan, based on a cabinet resolution from August 30, 2022, prevented the DoA from upgrading these airports until the transfer was finalized. With the plan now scrapped, urgent development projects can resume.
At present, the DoA manages 29 airports nationwide, while AoT, a publicly listed company, oversees six major airports, including Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Hat Yai, Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Chiang Rai-Mae Fah Luang.
Key Reasons Behind the Decision
✔ Avoiding Budget and Staffing Disruptions – The transfer could have negatively affected financial planning and airport workforce management.
✔ Facilitating Infrastructure Upgrades – Moving the airports to AoT would have required public-private partnerships (PPP) for development, complicating improvement projects.
✔ Accelerating Udon Thani Airport Upgrades – The airport, the busiest in the Northeast, has faced delays since 2018 due to transfer-related restrictions.
Future Development Plans
The DoA has requested a six-billion-baht budget for airport upgrades in the 2026 fiscal year to align with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards. Meanwhile, AoT continues to improve its existing airports and is planning the construction of Lanna Airport in the North and Andaman Airport in the South.
