Koh Samui airport to be renovated

Koh Samui airport has been scheduled to receive a major renovation that is due to start in May or April this year. The changes, designed to ease bottlenecks, are anticipated to take anywhere between 12 and 18 months. This will be the largest undertaking at the privately owned airport since the last renovation around ten years ago. The cost of the improvements are thought to be around the 600

million baht mark and will streamline passenger flow and enhance passengers comfort and convenience. Reports suggest that the 2,100 meter runway and taxiway will not be included in the renovation plans as they are currently sufficient for the air traffic using the airport. The capacity of the airport is also not of any concern, last year it handled around 2 million passengers and has the capacity to handle over double that figure, the upgrades are really designed to streamline passenger transit rather than increase the capacity. Last year Bangkok Airways received permission to increase the number of flights going through Koh Samui from 36 to 50. The airport currently handles around 45 flights a day, mainly operated by Bangkok Airways. Reports suggest they aim to increase that to 80 by convincing the authorities the increase would have no impact on noise pollution for the local community.

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