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The navy-operated U-tapao Airport in Chon Buri is poised to become a major transit point for tourists under a B995 million plan that calls for expansion of the facility that achieved prominence during the Vietnam War, after which it would be renamed U-tapao-Pattaya International Airport.

Pattaya Mayor Itthipol Khunpluem revealed that under the plan spread over three years, U-tapao will get a new terminal and its passenger handling capacity triple from the current 400 to 1,200/hour, as would the number of aircraft bay from four to 12, taxiways improved, a separate cargo terminal built, connecting roads expanded and new ones built to facilitate the flow of traffic between U-tapao, Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports.

U-Tapao is about 190 kilometres east of Bangkok but only 23 kilometres from Pattaya city (see Pattaya map). The expansion, noted the mayor, should go down well with tourists, specially those arriving by charter flights and that in turn should help bolster the local economy.

Last year about 170 charter flights landed at U-tapao and this year their number is expected to go up to 200, most of them arriving from Russia, eastern Europe and South Korea.

In the meantime, the mayor plans to ask more airlines to connect Pattaya with other tourist destinations in Thailand. Currently, only Bangkok Airways links Pattaya with Phuket and Samui.

bangkokpost