Chinese-built new Suvarnabhumi Airport terminal in Thailand to open in September

The new terminal of Thai Suvarnabhumi Airport constructed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) is scheduled to be opened in September, in order to increase the capacity for facilitating inbound and outbound travel, the Bangkok Post reported on Monday.

A representative from the Airports of Thailand, a Thai airport administration company, said the terminal will handle an additional 15 million passengers per year to boost the airport's total passenger handling capacity to 60 million per year.

Completed by CSCEC in July 2021, the new terminal of the Suvarnabhumi Airport has an area of 216,000 square meters and total length of 1,070 meters with 28 boarding gates. The airport plays important roles as a regional traffic hub in Southeast Asia and Thailand’s major growth engine, said CSCEC.

The airport reported a 230.8 percent jump in passenger traffic with 31.6 million passengers - 23.46 million international and 8.14 million domestic -- from October 2022 to May 2023 year-on-year, and the daily average for this year is about 140,000 to 150,000, the Bangkok Post reported.

Thailand is one of the most popular travel destinations for Chinese tourists. By June 25 this year, a total of 12.46 million person times of foreign tourists have visited Thailand, with the number of Chinese tourists reaching 1.38 million, China Media Group reported on Sunday citing data from the Thai tourism authority.

In September 2017, China and Thailand signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, which opened a new era for bilateral cooperation.

As the July 1 marked the 48th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Han Zhiqiang, Chinese ambassador to Thailand, said during an interview with Thai media on Saturday that China encourages Chinese enterprises to invest in Thailand following local demand and boost Thailand’s economy development, and has also opened the Chinese market to Thai companies.

“China has been Thailand's largest trading partner for a decade, and was the largest foreign investor in Thailand. The closer bilateral ties bring great benefits for peoples in both countries,” said Han.

As of now, nearly 700 Chinese companies have started business in Thailand, covering sectors of manufacturing, financial services, telecommunications, and new energy, according to information from the Chinese Embassy to Thailand.