The second-phase expansion of Suvarnabhumi Airport is 88 per cent complete following delivery of its first automated people mover (APM) this week, according to Airports of Thailand (AOT).
The first Siemens APM will first be tested before being used to transport passengers between the existing terminal building and new Satellite Terminal 1 (SAT-1), which is under construction. Siemens will deliver a total of six APM trains within this year.
Each APM will have two carriages with room for 210 passengers per trip or 6,000 per hour. The APM will run underground at up to 80kph, covering the 1 kilometre distance between the two terminals in less than two minutes.
With the structure of the new terminal now in place, work has begun on architecture, interiors, landscape, and installation of baggage handling systems, and electrical, mechanical, sanitary, and information systems, said AOT.
However, the impacts of Covid-19 mean the launch date of SAT-1 has been postponed from the end of this year to April, 2022.
AOT also forecasts that flights and passenger numbers at Suvarnabhumi Airport will recover to 2019 levels by October 2022, when the new terminal should be operational.
(Source: – The Nation)