Thailand's Suvarnabhumi Airport to have new runway by 2021

BANGKOK, April 18 (TNA) - The Thai Cabinet has approved a plan on the construction of a new runway, the third one, at the country's main Suvarnabhumi International Airport, set to be completed by 2021. Deputy Government Spokesman Lieutenant General Werachon Sukondhapatipak told journalists that the Thai Cabinet approved the plan, proposed by the Ministry of Transport, at its weekly meeting held at Bangkok's Government House on April 17. The deputy spokesman stated that the Thai Cabinet gave the green light for Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT) to oversee the construction of the third runway, worth about 21.80 billion baht, with an agreement with a winning contractor to be signed following the endorsement of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report, together with the Environmental Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) Report, of the new construction project by the National Environment Board. According to the deputy spokesman, the 3,700 meter-long and 60 meter-wide new runway will be located in the west of the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in parallel with its existing western runway and near a cargo warehouse. The deputy spokesman acknowledged that the new project includes such other facilities as drainage and aircraft support systems and fire fighting and mitigation stations in order to enhance the competitiveness of the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in terms of catering for the expanding air traffic in the future and coping with emergency incidents, if any. The deputy spokesman said that the new runway construction project, expected to be started within 2019, is part of a master plan on the development of Thailand's transport infrastructure 2015-2025, approved by the Cabinet on March 27, 2015. (TNA)