Thai airports welcome New Year travellers

BANGKOK, December 26 (TNA) - Thailand's all six international airports have been well-prepared to welcome travellers from around the world during the ongoing New Year festivity, from December 25, 2012-January 5, 2013, as the number of passengers using the main Suvarnabhumi International Airport alone expected to surge to nearly two million during the 12-day period. Somchai Sawasdeepon, Acting President of Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT), told journalists that AOT has set up coordination centers at the six international airports in all Thai regions to facilitate the New Year passengers, covering providing them with security and needed information around the clock. Somchai said that AOT has also cooperated with immigration police and staff to ease congestion at the six airports through, for instance, fast-track checkpoints and increased officers to enable quick flows of inbound and outbound passengers. The acting AOT chief projected that the main Suvarnabhumi International Airport alone should cater up to 1.88 million global passengers, or some 156,000 daily on average, during the 12-day New Year celebrations. According to the AOT acting president, the Suvarnabhumi International Airport has served up to some 52 million international passengers since early this year, higher than its maximum capacity of 45 million annually, underlining AOT's policy on accelerating the airport expansion, under its phase 2 and phase 3 plans covering the expansion of its third runway. The AOT acting president acknowledged that the six major Thai airports, including Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Hat Yai Airports have served up to some 74 million international passengers since early this year and are foreseen to cater as higher as 78 million world passengers next year. (TNA)