Thailand’s U-tapao Airport set for full commercial use by June 2016

BANGKOK, July 21 (TNA) - The Thai government, through the Ministry of Transport, is speeding up finalising a development plan for the new U-tapao International Airport in the Thai East so that it will be submitted to the Cabinet for its further consideration and decision in mid-August 2015, prior to its fully-commercial operations expected by June 1, 2016. Thai Permanent Secretary for Transport Soithip Traisut (สร้อยทิพย์ ไตรสุทธิ์) told journalists of the update on Tuesday, after a meeting of a joint committee tasked with developing the U-tapao International Airport for commercial use. Soithip said that the Royal Thai Navy is responsible for completing short term and long-term development plans, as well as development plans on internal facilities of the U-tapao International Airport to be submitted to the Ministry of Transport by August 3, 2015 and to the Thai Cabinet for its further consideration and decision by mid-August. As the U-tapao International Airport is initially set to be opened for its fully-commercial operations by June 1, 2016, Soithip acknowledged that relevant infrastructure development plans need to be timely implemented, the urgent one of which is the expansion of a 2.5-kilometre-long road in front of the U-tapao International Airport from two lanes to four lanes, funded by a 150-million-baht 2016 fiscal budget of her ministry's Department of Highways. (TNA)