An ‘Aviation City’ worth $9 billion will be built in Thailand this year

The bigger the airport, the closer to God or whatever that saying is…

Thailand is going bigger than ever in its new aviation city project, known as U-Tapao ‘Eastern Aviation City’ with a whopping investment of 300 billion baht ($8.82 billion) to construct the country’s largest infrastructure development. 

The Thai government plans to revamp U-Tapao airport, located in the Pla subdistrict of the Baanchang district of Rayong province and 109 miles from Bangkok airport. The historical airport dates back to the Vietnam War and will transform into a new international airport covering around 1,040 hectares of land.

One Works was appointed as the lead masterplan designer for the airport by GMR Group and Thai AirAsia, among other stakeholders. Construction plans for the project include a free-trade zone for commodities, a flight training center, and an aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility.

Other significant details of the plan include 

• Access to more expansive facilities from the passenger terminal.

• Locally and regionally accessible destinations.

• Mixed-use buildings for catering, retail, and leisure activities.

• Stunning architectural detail reflecting Thai culture.

• Low environmental impact and high sustainability standards.

With maximized spaciousness and smartly designed interiors inspired by nature, the architecture of this project will be designed for ease of navigation and comfort while moving from destination to destination. 

Thailand’s aviation industry is expected to grow significantly, creating 15,600 new jobs within the first five years, offering passengers and tourists a unique customer experience based on traditional and contemporary Thai values.