Thailand to cut airport landing, parking fees
BANGKOK – Airports of Thailand (AOT) AOT.BK is to cut landing and parking fees for airlines by 20 percent in a bid to bolster tourism, hit by the closure of Bangkok’s two airports late last year, its president said.
State-controlled AOT, which operates six airports in the country, will run its campaign from Feb. 1 to Sep. 30 and expects to lose income of about 400 million baht ($11.5 million), Serirat Prasutanont told reporters late on Wednesday.
The campaign is a part of government measures to attract visitors and restore the country’s lucrative tourist industry after the eight-day closure of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueng airports by anti-government protesters until Dec. 3 last year.
That caused the cancellation of flights and stranded hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors, damaging tourism, which accounts for 6 percent of gross domestic product.
AOT posted revenue of 22 billion baht and a net profit of 7.32 billion baht in its financial year ending September 2008.
AOT told the stock exchange it would hold a shareholders’ meeting on Friday to appoint a new board after directors stepped down on Jan. 20 following a change of government.
