DOA Accelerates Airport Revenue to Tackle Middle East Crisis, Reduce State Budget Dependency

The Department of Airports (DOA) is revising its plans to address the impact of unrest in the Middle East by rapidly developing commercial areas in its 28 existing airports to generate revenue to offset reduced flights, following the policy of the Deputy Minister of Transport. It also updates progress on the construction of six new airports nationwide.

Mr. Danai Ruangsorn, Director-General of the Department of Airports (DOA), stated that the unrest in the Middle East region affects all sectors. The DOA has prepared plans to address decreased revenue due to airlines reducing flight numbers. Following instructions from Mr. Pattarapong Pattarapisit, Deputy Minister of Transport, the DOA was ordered to study suitable operational and management models and develop airport areas to maximize benefits, increase overall DOA revenue, and reduce the government's budget burden. Therefore, the DOA focuses on appropriately enhancing revenue in line with current circumstances.

The Director-General added that the DOA will conduct studies to analyze and categorize airports, considering appropriate revenue-generating activities for each location. This includes enhancing the capabilities of existing airports to provide services at full efficiency.

Regarding the development of new airport feasibility studies, the progress of operations is as follows:

• Mukdahan Airport is currently revising its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report according to feedback from the expert committee of the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning.
• Phatthalung Airport is in the process of selecting consultants to provide project design services and prepare the EIA report.
• Kalasin Airport is reviewing its project feasibility study report.
• Phayao and Satun Airports are in the detailed project design and EIA report preparation stages.
• As for Bueng Kan Airport, it is currently surveying land plots within the project boundary to conduct detailed price assessments before submitting to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) for consideration to include in the master plan for commercial airport establishment, prior to proceeding with the next steps. The construction plan must complete these stages before moving forward.

Given the current situation, the DOA, overseeing 28 airports, must adapt by prioritizing existing airports first to elevate management efficiency to international standards, generating sustainable revenue through commercial areas and auxiliary services. This will reduce dependence on government budgets, aligning with the current government policy aimed at prudent public spending, reducing the burden on citizens, and ensuring sustainable air transport infrastructure.

, Policy . Additional