Airports development plan launched

BANGKOK, Sept 17 (TNA) -- The Department of Airports has launched plans for refurbishing the entire national civil aviation system that is expected to cost more than 34 billion baht. Pailin Chuchottaworn, Deputy Transport Minister chaired the launch of the 'Airports for All' program where a 20 year plan for upgrading all 28 airports currently being handled by the Department of Airports was revealed. Darun Sangchai, the director-general of the Department of Airports said that the development plan is the 20 year master plan to development nationwide airports which will cover the infrastructure, facilities and safety to response the exponential growth in air transport and tourism industries in the foreseeable future. On top of this, the program has placed the highest priority in ensuring that local communities are not overlooked by providing 30 per cent of all terminal areas as shops for local products or utilized by the community enterprises. One key improvement will be the introduction of Customer Immigration Quarantine (CIQ) systems which will allow passengers with multiple transits to check in their baggage only once at their original point of departure. The sections of all airports will be exclusively assigned as onsite training facilities in order to nurture and develop a new generation of skilled civil a aviation manpower that will be up to par with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards to realise the country's goal of becoming the regional civil aviation hub. (TNA)