Thailand: U-tapao airport upgrade expanded

The Royal Thai Navy is spending time and money to ensure the proper expansion of U-tapao airport in Rayong province. The full-scale operational launch of the airport's upgrade, centred on a new passenger terminal and supporting facilities, is now slated for early February next year at the latest. <br/>"We may be some five months behind the previously set schedule and the expansion is more costly, but we really want to get it right," U-tapao director Worapol Tongpricha said. The upgrade is now costing 1.7b baht, up from 700m baht originally budgeted, as additional and modern features have been added. Among them are the acquisition of two sets of aerobridges and construction of a new apron at the airport built by the US more than 50 years ago during the Vietnam War, according to Rear Adm Worapol. <br/>