New terminal planned for Thailand’s Chiang Mai Airport

calflier001, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Bangkok’s Chiang Mai Airport is set to build a new terminal as part of a plan to more than double airport capacity.

The airport’s director Vijit Kaewsaitiam said that the new terminal would help increase capacity from eight million visitors per year to more than 16.5 million, according to the National News Bureau of Thailand.

Fights will also be doubled to up to 30 flights an hour, while operating hours will be extended to facilitate more international flights, especially from Europe.

The first phase of construction of the terminal is expected to take three years to complete, with it due to become operational in 2029.

The latest announcement is the latest in a series of planned upgrades to Thailand’s airport infrastructure.

In January this year, the Thai government announced that it would start construction of the 290-billion baht (US$8.8 billion) U-Tapao aviation city.

The project involves converting the Vietnam-era U-Tapao airport into a new international airport linked to the Don Muang airport and the country’s main Suvarnabhumi Airport.