Airports of Thailand, or AOT, is pressing ahead with expanding the capacity of Suvarnabhumi Airport after its ground services subsidiary, AOT Ground Aviation Services, or AOTGA, won the 25-year bid for the Cargo & Ground Handling project at Suvarnabhumi Airport, following the cabinet's approval of the project. Paweena Jariyathitipong, chief executive officer of AOT, said AOT will move quickly to sign the contract within one month, after which the private operator will be given about six months to prepare tools and equipment. Ground handling services are expected to begin in early 2027, while the large facilities will take about 18 months to build, meaning full-scale operations will start in nearly two years. The project will raise ground handling capacity by roughly 30-40% from current levels and add space along with improved cargo warehouse processes to handle rising cargo volumes. At present, the ground services market at Suvarnabhumi has two operators, with market shares of about 60% and 40% respectively. Overall international passenger traffic at Suvarnabhumi rose about 6% in August from a year earlier, while Don Mueang Airport slowed, partly because AirAsia cut flights. AOT expects total passenger volume at its six airports in 2026 to be about 121 million, close to the previous year, even though it has been partly affected by the situation in the Middle East. AOT is also analysing incentive measures to support airlines and stimulate travel during the winter flight schedule, amid pressure from oil costs.
Asia Aviation Public Company Limited
Airports Of Thailand PCL