Bangkok (VNA) – The COVID-19 crisis has shaken the thriving aviation industry in Thailand and forced it into hibernation. But local authority is using this rare hiatus to develop airport facilities in preparation for the post-pandemic world.



Don Mueang, Thailand’s second busiest airport after Suvarnabhumi, is turning the crisis into an opportunity by improving the interior of its international terminal while there are no passengers, said airport director Sampan Khuntranont.



The pandemic has forced the suspension of domestic and international flights, grinding air traffic into and out of Don Mueang airport to a complete halt.



So the airport has decided to push ahead with plans to revamp the interior of the international terminal, costing 126 million THB (3.85 million USD), he said.



The work involves three sub-projects – the 99-million-THB improvement of the air-conditioning system; a re-carpeting job priced at 18 million THB; and a nine-million-THB switch to LED lights to save energy.



The project is expected to begin in July and be completed by the end of the year.



The airport has reached its maximum capacity of 40 million passengers last year. A plan is also afoot to expand Don Mueang largely served by budget carriers.



Last month, it was reported the Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) board approved a master plan for the third-phase development of Don Mueang airport costing an estimated 39 billion THB.



Earlier this week, the Thai Transport Ministry said it would ask the cabinet for a 250-million-THB budget to improve and upgrade facilities at Hua Hin airport in Prachuab Khiri Khan province to attract international airlines once the COVID-19 is contained.



Last year, the Thai cabinet okayed a project to build a third runway at Suvarnabhumi international airport in Bangkok with total investment of nearly 21.8 billion THB (667 million USD).



The project, part of the kingdom’s transport development plan in the 2015-2022 period, is scheduled to complete in 2021./.