Bangkok Airways has committed THB 2 billion (approximately USD 60 million) to develop Utapao Airport in Thailand, marking the first confirmed major private investment in the project. The carrier, operating from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, will construct a maintenance hangar for narrowbody aircraft on 30 rai (4.8 hectares) adjacent to the airport’s second runway, with construction beginning in 2027. This strategic move expands Bangkok Airways’ regional network and supports infrastructure development in the Pattaya area, addressing the shortage of domestic technical capacity that forces Thai carriers to send aircraft abroad for heavy maintenance. Utapao Airport, intended to serve as a secondary airport for the Bangkok-Pattaya corridor, aims to reduce congestion at Suvarnabhumi and improve access to the eastern seaboard, with a target capacity of 60 million passengers annually.