Nan Nakhon Airport in Nan Province, Thailand is about to undergo a large-scale upgrade and renovation, with an estimated cost of approximately 3.8 billion Thai baht. The main tasks include the expansion of the airport's runway, taxiway, and passenger terminal building to enhance the overall capacity of the airport and its handling capabilities for international flights.
The relevant person in charge stated that the design work for the runway extension, taxiway, and terminal building renovation has been completed, and the relevant design plans are currently being reviewed by departments such as the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand and the Royal Thai Air Force. At the same time, the airport has submitted an environmental impact assessment report and is revising it based on the feedback from the expert advisory committee.
It is reported that the existing runway of Nan Airport is 2,000 meters long and currently mainly operates domestic flights in Thailand. It can accommodate the takeoff and landing of aircraft models such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing B737-800.
After the upgrade and renovation are completed, the runway length will be increased to 2,300 meters, which can meet the takeoff and landing requirements of larger aircraft models such as the Airbus A321 and Boeing B737-900, and will have the ability to operate international flights from the ASEAN and East Asian regions. This move is expected to effectively improve the airport's passenger handling capacity, enhance the connectivity between Nan Province and surrounding areas, and further promote the development of local tourism.
In addition to the runway extension project, the passenger terminal building will also undergo a large-scale upgrade. After the renovation, the passenger handling capacity of the terminal building will be increased from the current 300 people per hour to 1,400 people per hour. In addition, the airport will also build a new parking lot that can accommodate 600 cars.
The entire project is expected to cost 3.89 billion Thai baht. In order to cooperate with the runway expansion, the airport plans to expropriate 134 rai (approximately 21.44 hectares) of land extending from the north of the airport to the Nan River. The land expropriation work is expected to be carried out between 2027 and 2029, and the main project is planned to be launched in 2030 and completed in 2032.
Currently, two airlines, Thai AirAsia and Nok Air, operate routes to Nan Airport. Among them, Thai AirAsia operates three flights per day, and Nok Air operates one flight per day.
In 2024, the passenger throughput of Nan Airport was approximately 407,145 person-times, with an average daily passenger flow of about 1,100 person-times, which has not yet recovered to the pre-pandemic level. In 2019, the passenger throughput of Nan Airport reached between 620,500 and 730,000 person-times, and the maximum number of daily flights reached 12.
The airport expansion project is highly anticipated and is expected to inject new vitality into the infrastructure construction and tourism development of Nan Province, laying a solid foundation for the region to further develop into an important tourist destination. (This article is from the official website of Seetao.com, www.seetao.com. No reprinting is allowed without permission. Otherwise, legal liability will be pursued. If reprinting, please indicate Seetao.com + the original text link.) Editor of the Strategic Column of Seetao.com / Yin Shiqian
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