Phuket International Airport celebrated its 27th anniversary yesterday (Oct 9), as it prepares to become the gateway to the Andaman once the expansion project is complete.

Director of Phuket International Airport, Monreudee Kaidpan said, “From October 2014 to September 2015 the airport has serviced 12.53 million passengers., even though it wasn’t built to handle that number.

“The airport was originally built to handle 6.5 million passengers. However, once the expansion is complete it will be built to handle 12.5 million passengers.

“As of today, 70 per cent of the new terminal is complete and is actually ahead of schedule. By 2016, when the expansion is complete, we will be ready to be the gateway for international tourists visiting the Andaman region.

“There will be parking available for 10 more airplanes and 1,000 cars,” she said.

“We expect that the new terminal will be in full operation by February 14, 2016. At that time the current terminal building will be for domestic flights and the new terminal for international flights.

“For next year’s budget will will be able to improve the airport’s runway to include a Runway End Safety Area (RESA).

“We will also be appointing Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT) to service all passengers coming through the airport effectively. They will also handle matters including risk management and disaster situations,” concluded Ms Monreudee.