Bangkok Airways lines up airport project?

More details are emerging on a proposed alternative airport for Phuket island and its neighbouring provinces.

C9 Hotelworks CEO Bill Barnett in his latest newsletter update says the proposed airport project has tentatively been named the “Phang Nga – Andaman International Airport”.

Under consideration by provincial and government authorities for more than two years, C9 Hotelworks  pinpoints the proposed location on the mainland, north of Phuket Island.

Roughly half-way between Khao Lak resort and Phuket Island it could serve both resorts, while triggering expansion at other beaches along the Andaman Sea coast.

The newsletter also identifies the cash rich parent company of Bangkok Airways as the lead contender to develop the airport. It is understood the parent company is engaged in on-going talks with Phang Nga province to secure a large-scale land lease for the airport.

Usually a project of this magnitude would be open to competitive bids based on the outcome of an independent master plan that would address wider issues that are linked to green field airport developments including the impact on the environment, communities and local economy.

C9 Hotelworks claimed an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was in the pipeline.

According to Barnett, the proposed airport site, covering 2,000 rai of land is at Moo 4, Baan Tha Dindaeng, Lam Kaeng Sub district, Thai Muang District.

Tentative plans for the runway are 3,000 metres, which would be more than Bangkok Airways’ privately owned airport on Samui Island.

There are already two airports in the area; one in Krabi and the other on Phuket Island. The latter is already at full capacity and authorities admit it would be extremely difficult and expensive to extend the airport area to allow for the construction of a second runway.

Last year, passenger arrivals at Phuket International Airport exceeded 6.4 million, while nearly Krabi Airport passed the 1.8 million level.

A new airport on the mainland, halfway between the popular Khao Lak beach resort and Phuket island, would ultimately become a gateway for a much wider coastal area and kick-start a massive expansion of resort-style real estate. Land prices would escalate and there would be considerable pressure to sell encroach on forests, while agricultural land that would be snapped up by rich Bangkok conglomerates.

Khao Lak already has 104 registered tourism establishments with 7,822 rooms.

(Initial source: C9 Hotelworks with additional comment)