The Democrat Party deputy spokesperson urges the government and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) to reconsider scaling down U-Tapao Airport to 3 million passengers, expressing concerns about impacts on EEC development plans and demanding clear explanations about the replacement project for the high-speed rail linking the three airports to the public.
On 15 Nov 2026 at the Democrat Party headquarters, Mr. Jirawat Changwat, deputy spokesperson of the Democrat Party, held a press conference expressing concerns about the development direction of projects within the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), especially the decision to reduce the initial investment scale of U-Tapao Airport development from an original target of 15.9 million passengers per year down to only 3 million per year. The main reason behind this scale reduction is linked to ongoing negotiations between the EEC agency and the private sector to halt the high-speed rail project connecting the three airports, which has caused other planned, designed, and pre-prepared projects to be scaled down, lose priority, and diminish in importance accordingly.
Accordingly, the Democrat Party and local MPs are calling on relevant agencies to urgently conduct a thorough review of the consequences of reducing U-Tapao Airport’s capacity from 15.9 million to 3 million passengers annually. They want to assess what opportunities and benefits the public and surrounding development areas might lose. They also demand that the EEC disclose clear information about the replacement project intended to substitute for the high-speed rail connecting the three airports, including how the project will restore benefits to the people and compensate for the private sector’s investments in the area.
“The Democrat Party directly calls on the EEC, the government, and the Ministry of Transport to prioritize this issue as a key agenda. The people in the U-Tapao area, Chonburi and Rayong provinces, and along the route have waited for over 6 to 7 years with hope that this project would improve their livelihoods. But it now appears the government is sidelining the people’s basic needs and instead prioritizing private sector problems. The government should clarify the direction of the high-speed rail project linking the three airports, explain what benefits the country and its people will receive, and detail how this will affect other planned projects, to ensure maximum real benefit to the public,” said the Democrat Party deputy spokesperson.