PHUKET: Bids for constructing Phuket International Airport's all-important expansion will be considered next Thursday, a meeting at the airport heard yesterday.

Among more than 60 officials attending the meeting at Phuket airport were the chair of the Standing Committee on Transport of the senate, Kecha Saksomboon, and the chair of the Standing Committee on Tourism of the Senate, Senator Tunyaratt Achariyachai.

Phuket airport, by far the most important piece of infrastructure for the Phuket tourism industry, is run by Airports of Thailand.

AoT has been talking about a Phuket airport expansion since April, 2008 when Phuketwan reported in its first exclusive:

''A NEW multi-billion baht terminal is to be built at Phuket International Airport as a record number of arrivals and departures speeds its own journey towards maximum capacity.

''The race is now on to stay ahead of the island's growing popularity.''

Phuket's popularity appears to have won that race easily.

Phuket's airport is shabby and shameful and unlikely to impress new arrivals, even those from poorer countries.

Phuket's replacement? That's still - to use an appropriate metaphor - pie in the sky. For arriving passengers, Phuket falls well short of basic international standards.

A Phuketwan reporter returning last night from an overseas trip was greeted at the Phuket airport exit door by taxi driver after taxi driver, all touting for a fare.

The reporter chose a metered taxi. She was not surprised when the driver failed to switch on the meter and asked for 400 baht as the cab reached Phuket City.

More ugly airport stories emerged yesterday. Senator Tunyaratt, one of Thailand's leading tourism figures - she and her family own resorts on Phuket and in Phang Nga - asked what happened to the 700 baht per person airport tax on travellers from overseas (It's 100 baht per person for Thais).

''The toilets at the airport remain well below standard,'' she said. ''Why don't you spend the passengers' money improving conditions for passengers at Phuket airport?''

The General Manager of Phuket airport, Wing Commander Prathuang Somkhom, said that it was considered to be better to upgrade the toilets with the expansion of the airport. He said a decision on a contractor could possibly come next Thursday.

Most people on Phuket are aware that all key decisions about Phuket airport are made in Bangkok anyway.

''Even if a clock is broken, all spending on Phuket has to be approved in Bangkok,'' Senator Tunyaratt said.

She also condemned the rank of huge billboards that now greet passengers exiting the airport. The billboards obscure what was once a pleasing view of Phuket's green hills.

''Only 10 percent of the tax taken from passengers is passed on to local Phuket councils to benefit Phuket people.

''AoT is only concerned about making money,'' Senator Tunyaratt said. Nobody argued.

Then it was the turn of Transport Committee chairman Senator Kecha.

He said fares from Phuket airport were too expensive, largely because taxi and limo drivers had to pay a sliding scale of rent that went up every year for the first three years.

Mai Khao Limousines, one of Phuket airport's two limo companies,pays AoT 1.5 million baht a month.

Piyamapoon Sompongmid, the manager of the other firm, Mai Khao Sarkoo, said every driver had to pay 55,000 baht in rent every month.

Senator Kecha said he had heard of taxi spots in some Phuket queues fetching 500,000 baht, when they were made available.

Khun Tunyaratt added that she remembered when there were just three taxi queues on Phuket - and now there are scores, mostly occupied by illegal ''black'' taxis.

The deputy chairman of the AoT Phuket committee, Prateep Vijidto, said that the high cost of taxi fares on Phuket was merely ''the result of a free market'' - in other words, the result of the level of competition among taxi drivers who want to be at Phuket airport.

The plan is for construction of the new Phuket airport terminal to take 30 months, from the time it begins.

Four years and four months have passed since the first exclusive announcement to Phuketwan that a new, expanded airport was coming.

We believe Phuket will be extremely fortunate to see the new international terminal before 2016. Meanwhile, expect the old airport - and the experiences of arriving passengers - to grow a shade or two shabbier.