Long Term Strategic Airport Planning

Suvarnabhumi International Airport

Bangkok, Thailand

LEAPP reviewed and assessed the original Airport Master Plan in terms of the long term capacity requirements for Suvarnabhumi International Airport. When compared against air traffic projections, the Master Plan was found to offer insufficient long term airside capacity to serve required terminal development in the midfield between two sets of parallel runways. Options open to Airports of Thailand to provide sufficient balanced airside and landside capacity to meet traffic demand for the Bangkok area included adding additional runways outside the present airport site, re-opening Don Mueang Airport, or planning for an additional international airport in the Bangkok Region in the long term. Runway development options to add a 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th runway to the present two runways (with an additional midfield terminal complex), using agricultural lands east of the airport, were tested by simulation. A long-term strategy to ensure sufficient airside and terminals capacity on and adjacent to the Suvarnabhumi Airport site was developed for consideration by the Airports of Thailand Company. Along with the suggested airport development strategy, the impacts on facility phasing and land safeguarding, and on the airspace and local community in terms of aircraft noise, were also assessed