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 | Major expansion for Phuket Airport |
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Due to the increasing number of passengers and airplanes reaching Phuket International Airport the Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) is planning to invest into a necessary expansion of the airport which will increase the number of passengers to 11.5 million a year (6 million international and 5.5 million domestic). This number will exceed the actual annual number of passengers in about 5 million. The construction plans include a new international passenger terminal, an upgrade of the domestic terminal as well as space for 11 more aircrafts. The passenger traffic at Phuket International Airport in 2008 was 22.6% higher than the year before while the traffic of airplanes only increased in 6%. This, of course results in an overcrowded situation at the landing section of the airport and an understaffing which is not able to handle the increased amount of arriving passengers. Especially during the high season from late October to April mainly European tourists overflow the location. Travel experts warn that this tense situation could spoil the first impressions of the island as one of the primary holiday destinations. The expansion is planned to be completed by 2010. If the traffic should continue to increase further expansion will be necessary until the airport will be able to handle 15 million passengers a year in 2020.
Sources: bangkokpost.com, www.msnbc.msn.com
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