Bangkok: Suvarnabhumi Airport has scheduled a soft launch for the first Midfield Satellite Building, known as SAT-1 today, bringing its passenger handling capacity to 60 million per year from 45 million currently.
The SAT-1 terminal constitutes a key part of the Suvarnabhumi Airport’s phase-two development, which consists of several sub-projects to strengthen the Airport’s capability to accommodate growing passengers to Thailand and air traffic.
Mr. Kittipong Kittikachorn, Suvarnabhumi Airport’s General Manager, commented on the operation readiness of the new terminal “The SAT-1 terminal has successfully undergone the full-scale trial operations in collaboration with the airlines, ground service providers, and related agencies.” he shared.
The trial operations were conducted three times, during the daytime on 8 and 12 September, and during the night-time on 20 September, to ensure that the SAT-1 was truly up and running on 28 September and passed the systems operational readiness test covering services at the terminal apron area, connecting taxiway, service roads, work within the building, utilities, APM and baggage handling systems, as well as the aspects of service continuity and safety inspections according to the international standards by the relevant regulatory bodies.
Airport Facilities
Covering a total indoor usable area of 251,400 square metres and an apron area of more than 260,000 square metres, the SAT-1 terminal is a four-storey building with two basements.
The B2 level is home to the APM Station and the B1 level is for the systems control room while the G level houses the Baggage Handling System (BHS) and offices.
Level 2 is dedicated to arrival passengers and those on flight connections while Level 3 is the departure area with a waiting area for boarding passengers in an open gate-style layout and shops lining the hallway. Level 4 is set aside for passenger lounges, airlines’ lounges, and other facilities.
The building is connected to the main terminal by an underground tunnel with a length of about one kilometre. Operating inside the tunnel are the APM system, the BHS, and two airside service roads. Travelling from the current terminal to the SAT-1 terminal is by means of the APM, an unmanned electric vehicle with rubber wheels used solely to transport passengers.
Passengers travelling on international flights departing and arriving from the SAT-1 can take the APM. The journey time, including waiting time at the station for passengers, is about three minutes, and the APM can accommodate up to 210 passengers per train per way.
