Phayao airport/Impact study

Chatrudee Theparat

An environmental impact assessment (EIA) for Phayao airport is proposed in the mobile cabinet to boost this northern province competitiveness from logistics to tourism and facilitate connectivity to neighboring nations.

The government will allocate 100 million baht 2024 fiscal budget to conduct the EIA study for Phayao airport.

Prime Minister Srettha Thaivin yesterday visited a land plot in Tambon Don Si Chum, Dok Khamtai district to build Phayao airport. He told the villagers in Tambon Sridonshum that the Transport Ministry will conduct the impact study of Payao airport first.

“Upgrading Phayao as a second-tier-tourism province to become a main tourism province, it needs a development of related infrastructure. Airport is an important infrastructure to upgrade the potential of the province. The transport ministry will study it further.”

Mr Suriya said the cabinet on March 19 is scheduled to approve the 2024 fiscal budget for the EIA study of Phayao airport. The EIA study may take at least one year.

He said the ministry also needs to consider related infrastructure, which will support the airport and number of passengers.

The first row(right): Tourism and Sports Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Capt Thammanat Prompao said the Phayao governor also proposed the cabinet today for a 100 million baht budget to the EIA study of Phayao airport. The initial study of Phayao University conducted in 2021 showed a total cost of the airport is 3 billion baht in total.

The 2,000 rai land plots of Phayao airport is expected to facilitate logistics of the province of 500,000 people, as well as strengthening the province potential on tourism.

“The airport is projected to create better connectivity to other provinces and neighboring countries while the project is expected to contribute more revenue to Phayao, whose per capita income in 2023 was 90,000 baht per head.

Phatchapa Jitraphantavee, Pha Yao’s chairman of Tourism Council of Thailand, said the public and private sector are hope the airport will be built soon. It can strengthen the role of Phayao to become a logistic centre to neighboring countries such as Laos and Myanmar.

The province also is positioned to become the wellness centre for Laos people in the next 2-3 years. Currently, the Phayao University has provided medical programs from medicine, pharmacy to nursing for wellness industry.

The private sector also proposed the government to develop infrastructure at Ban Huak checkpoint such as customs building and customs procedures.

“The cabinet approved the Ban Huak checkpoint to become a permanent checkpoint in 2018. So far, the customs building has yet to be established while there were only custom procedures for Thai and Laos people.

A 2000 rai land plot which is a location to build Phayao airport in Dock Khamtai district

Private sector proposed the government to upgrade the Ban Huak checkpoint to become an international checkpoint, which should establish the immigration procedures for the third countries or foreign visitors, who can travel from Luang Prabang to northern Thailand via Bang Huak checkpoint.

Private sector also proposed the government to develop a four-lane road from Ban Huak checkpoint to Phayao city.

Four provinces in the upper northern provinces including Chiang rai Phrae, Nan and Phayao also proposed the four provinces to become gastronomy tourism destination and promote wellness industry.

Tourism and Sports Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol said the visitors to northern region were 39.48 million, up 9.65 % from 2019, the year before Covid-19, comprising of 34.78
million trips of Thai visitors and 4.61 million of foreign visitors. Its target this year is 45 million this year.

To achieve its target, promotional campaigns for the second-tier tourism provinces are launched to support.