As I entered Krabi via its international airport, I noticed an aiport that is clean and spacious. Developmental work has went into it and I was pleased that the Thais got this part of airport planning right.
Planning Starts a Decade ago
Through literature research, the statistics of Tourism Authority of Thailand has noted that most of the tourists come to Krabi by car. There was a limit of Krabi Airport then as it could not accomodate 400-seated aircraft, such as the Boeing 747-400. Hence, tourists then travelling by Boeing 747-400 from abroad had to disembark at Bangkok International Airport before continuing their trip to Krabi by road. .
Thus, the Ministry of Transport then was assigned to developed Krabi Airport through the Development of Civil Aviation. It launched the Krabi Airport Development Plan and constructed it during 2003-2004 at the cost of 743 million THB. Till date, as I went through the immigration counters and the baggae claim areas, it still looks brand new.
Planning Starts a Decade ago
Through literature research, the statistics of Tourism Authority of Thailand has noted that most of the tourists come to Krabi by car. There was a limit of Krabi Airport then as it could not accomodate 400-seated aircraft, such as the Boeing 747-400. Hence, tourists then travelling by Boeing 747-400 from abroad had to disembark at Bangkok International Airport before continuing their trip to Krabi by road. .
Thus, the Ministry of Transport then was assigned to developed Krabi Airport through the Development of Civil Aviation. It launched the Krabi Airport Development Plan and constructed it during 2003-2004 at the cost of 743 million THB. Till date, as I went through the immigration counters and the baggae claim areas, it still looks brand new.
Development Continues Even in 2012
Even though the terminal is not congested, Krabi Airport started using another new terminal for domestic flights since April 2012. Calling it Terminal 2, it serves all domestic flights including Air Asia and Bangkok Airways. For all international flights and Thai Airways International flights, the current terminal will be used, which now calls itself Terminal 1.
Though I questioned why the expansion came at an early phase, this advanced planning of the Thai Ministry has given the airport much room for expansion. Structurally, the check-in counters are situated all on the left-hand side of Terminal 1. This results in synergy and manpower savings. However, with only 10 departing flights a day, I wondered if much manpower savings can be derived from operating 2 new terminals simultaneously. Maybe their upcoming peak season (Nov onwards) will prove me wrong.
Extending the Runway Capabilities without upgrading the Taxiway
I noted that the the asphaltic concrete runway was extended to a length of 3,000m and a width of 45m - capable of landing a B747-400. However, the parallel taxiway remained at a length of 1,209m and width 23m. What this means - is that their development reflects an expected growth to handle bigger, long-haul flights, but the taxiway system still under-developed reflected a low aircraft movement. Aircrafts have to remain on the active runway for a relatively longer period - due to the short taxiway located only on 1 end of the runway, without any rapid exits.
No comments:
Post a Comment