The government is preparing to open Hua Hin airport to international flights, with officials studying the feasibility of restoring services to the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur and launching other overseas routes.
Deputy Transport Minister Phattrapong Phattraprasit said the initiative is part of efforts to strengthen air connectivity, attract more tourists to regional destinations and position Hua Hin as an international commercial aviation and tourism hub.
Speaking at a Market Insights and Customer Insights Workshop in Hua Hin on Sunday, Mr Phattrapong said authorities gathered feedback from tourism operators and market data on target visitor groups and tourism products to support planning for international air services and tourism promotion.
He said developing Hua Hin airport is not merely an infrastructure project but also a strategy to spread tourism income more widely.
"When tourists can fly directly to Hua Hin, tourism revenue will flow into the local economy while helping ease congestion at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports," Mr Phattrapong said.
The Department of Airports and state agencies have been instructed by the government to accelerate infrastructure upgrades and coordination while complying with international aviation safety standards.
Mr Phattrapong on Sunday also inspected work to expand road and railway underpasses and enlarge the runway safety area at the threshold of Runway 16.
The upgrades are being carried out in line with recommendations from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand to accommodate international airlines, with the airport expected to be ready for international services by year-end.
Separately, the Civil Aviation Training Centre (CATC) has been recognised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) as the Asia-Pacific training centre that trained the largest number of aviation professionals through ICAO Training Packages in 2025.
Mr Phattrapong said the award, announced at the ICAO Global Implementation Support Symposium 2026 in Morocco, reflected efforts to raise Thailand's aviation standards and strengthen its position as a regional aviation hub.
CATC president Pukkanut Makchouy said the institute conducted 14 training programmes covering nine ICAO courses in 2025, training 197 aviation professionals.
She said the achievement reflected CATC's progress under the ICAO Trainair Plus programme, advancing from Associate Member to Full Member and Regional Training Centre of Excellence before attaining Training Centre of Excellence status in 2024.
Among 151 member institutions and organisations from 76 countries, CATC is one of only 20 worldwide and six in the Asia-Pacific region to hold the top-tier status.
