Siripong explains rationale for considering reopening of arrival duty-free shops as a solution to congestion at Suvarnabhumi — retail shops would help create activities for passengers waiting in immigration queues — urges swift talks with Finance Ministry before submitting proposal to cabinet; AOT reveals cancellation has not met targets, and is ready to negotiate with King Power over space allocation and increased revenue share.
Today (17 August 2026), Mr. Siripong Angkaskulkiat, Deputy Minister of Transport, together with Mr. Pattarapong Pattaraprasit, Deputy Minister of Transport, joined the delegation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Mrs. Supajee Suthumpun on an official inspection visit to enhance the capacity of the transport system at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Mr. Siripong spoke about the possible resumption of arrival duty-free shop services, saying that Airports of Thailand (AOT) has already forwarded the matter to the Fiscal Policy Office (FPO) for consideration. He said he will follow up on the details, as if the FPO deems it appropriate to bring the service back, the matter will need to be proposed to the cabinet. He noted that the current reasons and necessity differ from those behind the original cabinet resolution to cancel the arrival duty-free service, which had been based on the view that it would encourage foreign tourists and Thais to spend more on consumer goods and domestically produced products. However, spending behaviour has now changed, and is no longer dependent on whether arrival duty-free shopping is available or not.
The reason why he now believes arrival duty-free shops should exist, he said, is to provide shops, restaurants, and activities for passengers who do not wish to queue at immigration, giving them something to do and helping them feel more relaxed while waiting. Duty-free shopping, he added, is one of the activities that many parties consider should be available as a service for travellers.
**AOT ready to negotiate with King Power on increased revenue share**
Mr. Sirot Duangrut, AOT's Deputy Director-General for Business Development and Marketing, said that following the cabinet resolution to cancel duty-free services at all six airports, AOT conducted a preliminary study and assessment, finding that the results had not met the target of encouraging tourists to spend more on domestically produced goods. The cancellation also fell short in terms of national revenue benefits, AOT's own revenue, and airport service quality. AOT submitted the relevant data to the FPO on 11 August 2026.
Once the FPO has reached a conclusion and submitted its proposal to the cabinet, AOT will negotiate with King Power Duty Free Co., Ltd. on the allocation of space for arrival duty-free shops and on the revenue-sharing arrangement for that space. However, the total area available may not be the same as before, as some portions of Suvarnabhumi's space have already been repurposed for passenger services.
Mr. Kittipong Kittikhajorn, Director of Suvarnabhumi Airport, said that after the cancellation of arrival duty-free services, AOT repurposed some of that space and converted it into various service counters to facilitate passengers — for example, baggage damage and lost-and-found (Baggage Service / Lost & Found) counters for airlines, located behind the 17 baggage carousels that previously served as Duty Free Pick-Up points. Additional space has also been set up as a waiting area for transit passengers. Overall, approximately 70% of the former duty-free space has already been put to other uses, meaning that if duty-free shops are reinstated, the available floor area will be smaller than before.
**Proposal to Supajee to coordinate with Ministry of Public Health on unlocking airport smoking rooms**
Mr. Kittipong added that AOT has also proposed to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Mrs. Supajee Suthumpun that she help push for the opening of smoking rooms inside the passenger terminal in the departures area, in order to serve transit passengers and address the problem of passengers smoking in unauthorised areas such as restrooms. Currently, a Ministry of Public Health announcement designates airport terminal buildings as entirely smoke-free zones, prohibiting the establishment of smoking rooms inside passenger terminals in order to protect the health of travellers.
Suvarnabhumi Airport has plans to install smoking rooms inside the passenger terminal, starting with three locations in the international departures zone. Deputy Prime Minister Supajee agreed to discuss the matter with the Minister of Public Health to issue a ministerial announcement in time for the high season.
Mr. Siripong said that this meeting was held to discuss approaches to improving passenger services and reducing congestion, as well as to shorten immigration processing times. Relevant agencies discussed short-term remedies together with medium- and long-term plans to facilitate passengers and tourists at Suvarnabhumi Airport, which serves as the first gateway welcoming visitors to Thailand.
In 2025, Suvarnabhumi Airport handled 62.90 million passengers and 370,823 flight movements. In 2026, passenger volume is forecast at 61.85 million and flight movements at 368,959.
AOT said it will accelerate the addition of facilities for both arriving and departing passengers. Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT) has plans to expand check-in space for group travellers and passengers who arrive at the airport ahead of their check-in time, covering an area of approximately 2,250 square metres with seating capacity for around 610 passengers, 18 CUSS kiosk stations, and 8 check-in counters.
The expanded area will also include a baggage repacking zone, a public relations point, a security checkpoint, shops, a tax refund counter, a drinking water refill station, charging stations, and a smoking room, among other facilities. This represents an upgrade in service and an enhancement of traveller comfort, which is expected to create a positive impression and boost confidence among tourists.
Regarding progress on infrastructure development at Suvarnabhumi Airport to enhance ground service capacity and air cargo operations: the East Expansion passenger terminal extension project — which will increase capacity to 70 million passengers per year — has a construction period of 2027–2031. For the expansion of the airport's southern capacity, a South Terminal will be constructed that can accommodate up to 120 million passengers per year, with construction scheduled to begin between 2029 and 2035. The construction of a 4th Runway under Phase 2 of the airport development plan will increase flight handling capacity to 120 movements per hour, and is expected to open in 2040.
In addition, the Ministry of Transport, through AOT, has plans to develop commercial areas surrounding AOT's airports by inviting private sector participation in co-investment to generate long-term revenue. A consultant was engaged to study the development of Suvarnabhumi Airport as an Aviation Hub. The study found that private sector entities are interested in co-developing land around Suvarnabhumi Airport on the Airport Business plot (A37), covering approximately 548 rai (876,800 square metres), on a leasehold basis to construct upscale and midscale hotels to support growth in the aviation and tourism industries. For the plot designated for Suvarnabhumi Airport's service and support centre, private operators in the air transport, logistics, and warehouse management sectors have expressed interest in investing in large-scale project development.
Mr. Siripong added that AOT has drawn up a land-use plan for vacant areas surrounding the airport to benefit the aviation and tourism industries. The southern zone will be developed as a hub for airport support activities and air transport, comprising: a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) centre covering 420,800 square metres; a Cargo Terminal covering 280,000 square metres; and support activity facilities covering 539,200 square metres — which include an In-Flight Catering facility of 40,000 square metres — as well as an Airport Hotel.
