Commercial Projects

Construction Set to Begin on $9bn U-Tapao Airport City

The project, dubbed ‘Eastern Aviation City’, will cover 2,570 acres.

Updated on

February 5, 2023

U-tapao Airport Expansion | CK — An impression of the extended U-tapao Airport. (Photo: One Works)

Construction of U-tapao Airport City in Thailand is set to begin soon, pushing forward a big-dollar project that seeks to revitalize the country’s aviation sector.

According to the deputy spokesperson of the Thai government Tipanan Sirichana, construction of the $8.9 billion city surrounding the U-tapao Airport near Pattaya will begin early 2023 following the recent approval of the project.

Dubbed ‘Eastern Aviation City’, the public-private project in the eastern industrial province of Rayong will span about 10.4 million square metres.

U-tapao Airport construction

The U-tapao Airport City project will cover, among other things, U-tapao Airport expansion into the third main international airport in Thailand.

The Vietnam-war-era airport currently handles only a few flights a day.

After the upgrade, the airport – which is viewed as an alternative gateway to capital Bangkok – is expected to handle up to 60 million passengers a year.

The U-tapao Airport City will also be linked with budget terminal Don Muang Airport and Thailand’s main Suvarnabhumi Airport through a high-speed railway.

“With high-speed trains, all the three airports can accommodate up to 200 million passengers per year, making Thailand a hub for the regional tourism industry,” Sirichana said in a press statement last week.

The city will also include a free trade zone for cargo, an aviation training centre and aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities, a state website shows.

Utapao Thailand masterplan

Design firm One Works has signed a deal with infrastructure company GMR Group, Thai AirAsia and other investors to develop the Utapao Thailand masterplan.

Thai authorities expect the project to generate an annual return of $10 billion, and generate more than 15,000 additional jobs in the first five years.

U-tapao Airport City is a key feature of Thai government’s development plan that seeks to transform its eastern seaboard provinces into aviation and seaport hubs.