Airport Link may see new share structure as Don Mueang made No 2 facility

Virabongsa said during a keynote speech titled "The Strategy of Thailand after 2015" during a seminar held by the Federation of Thai Industries that congestion at Suvarnabhumi Airport was very serious. Annual passenger numbers are as high as 48 million, so the government cannot avoid using Don Mueang Airport as the capital’s second aviation facility.

However, he said problems related to the Airport Rail Link might be an obstacle to providing efficient transport between Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang. The service is a state enterprise under the State Railway of Thailand, so its management may not be flexible.

"The government therefore is thinking of adjusting the shareholding structure of the Airport Rail Link. AOT and private firms may be the new shareholders. If we can do this, we will extend the route from Phaya Thai to Don Mueang Airport. Construction may take three years," he said.

Virabongsa added that Thai AirAsia, the country’s largest budget airline, had been asked to move its operations from Suvarnabhumi to Don Mueang. It is likely to accept the idea, but is asking for the firm commitment of the government not to change its airport policy in the future. The government may have to offer incentives to these budget airlines.

He said that if the government can use Don Mueang as the second Bangkok airport officially, it expected 12 million passengers to move to that facility annually, easing the congestion at Suvarnabhumi.

In a separate matter, Virabongsa said he expected the economy to continue its recovery in the second half of the year. The government is forecast to collect more value-added tax thanks to increased consumer spending. But the downside to the improved economy is that it will aggravate the labour shortage. Meanwhile, alien workers from Myanmar are likely to move back to their own country as its economy grows.