Thailand hopes to become regional aviation hub

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has unveiled a plan to become a regional aviation hub by increasing air traveller capacity to 270 million people a year by 2037 and by becoming a major cargo hub. The officials said the plan was part of the government’s “Ignite Thailand” initiative, which aims to make the country a hub for tourism, medical treatment, food, aviation, logistics, electric vehicles, digital economy and finance by 2030, according to reports. 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 a year by 2025. It also set a target of achieving minimum connecting time (MCT) for international flight connections at not over 75 minutes. In the second stage – 2026 to 2028 – total capacity at airports must reach 1.4 million flights and 210 million passengers a year by 2028, while the MCT must not exceed 60 minutes, the CAAT said. In the third stage – 2029 to 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 one another’s operations and goals. These include the Department of Airports, Airports of Thailand, Aeronautical Radio of Thailand, Civil Aviation Training Centre and the Suvarnabhumi Airport hotel. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Kay Rolland at [email protected]