U-Tapao Airport flying high with special CAAT certification
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) on Wednesday issued a Public Aerodrome Operating Certificate (PAOC) to Rayong’s U-Tapao Airport.
The certificate was presented by CAAT director-general Suttipong Kongpool to Admiral Woraphol Thongpreecha, director of U-Tapao Airport at CAAT’s head office at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The PAOC is a new certification standard introduced by CAAT and is granted to operators of an airport that has been approved to provide service to the public and has met the latest international safety standards of air travel.
U-Tapao, which is officially called U-Tapao-Rayong-Pattaya International Airport, is the second airport in the country to be given a PAOC after Yala’s Betong Airport, which received the certificate in January.
U-Tapao International Airport serves both domestic and international flights and is part of the government’s Aerotropolis project that aims to make the eastern region a flying hub in Southeast Asia while supporting increasing air travel in the Eastern Economic Corridor.
The airport, with a 3.5km-long runway, can accommodate large aircraft such as the B777, B787, A330 and the Antonov.
U-Tapao Airport has undergone a series of upgrades in recent years, making it Thailand’s third international airport following Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi.
The three airports will be connected by a high-speed rail link that is currently under construction, and together are expected to serve up to 200 million passengers per year.