The minister said the issue was on the agenda for the next meeting of the economics department of the ruling National Council for Peace and Order. Air Chief Marshal Juntong is also the chairman of the economics section.
King Power operates the duty-free shops at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports as well as Phuket, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai. The five airports are managed by the Airports of Thailand (AoT). An AoT insider claimed King Power pays THB1.4 billion per annum for the concessions plus 15 per cent of its net sales income.
At the same press briefing, the transport minister said sales figures should be transparent so that at any given point in time AoT could work out its share of the revenue. The minister finished off by saying that leading department stores and other retailers had stated they would be interested in running airport duty-free shops and this would provide shoppers with more choice.
Thailand to end airport duty-free monopoly
News in Asia
Thailand’s transport minister has told media reporters more companies should be authorised to operate duty-free outlets at the country’s main airports. According to local reporters, Prajin Juntong said that he planned to set up a committee to investigate the monopoly at the airports that is currently enjoyed by the King Power International Group.