Perspectives of the stakeholders in Udonthani province toward the change of management authority of Udonthani international airport

Abstract

This Article aimed to study the perspectives of the stakeholders in Udonthani province toward the change of management authority of Udonthani International Airport. Key informants were stakeholders in the Udonthani area that are expected to be affected from the change of authority responsible for the management of Udonthani International Airport totaling 12 cases divided into 2 groups: 1) Primary stakeholders include airport users, consisting of airline management representatives, airport passengers and airport tenants 2) Secondary stakeholders include local government organizations consisting of the secretary of the mayor of Udonthani province and a group of private organizations within the province consisting of the president of the Udonthani Chamber. They were selected by purposive sampling method using stakeholder theory. The instrument for collecting data was an In-depth interview. Data was analyzed by qualitative analysis using Data reduction, Data display, and Conclusion and verification method. The research results were found that airports are regarded as the country's transportation infrastructure, most airports in Thailand including Udonthani International Airport are therefore appropriately owned by the government. The Department of Airports is administered in the form of bureaucracy which has a limited budget and various delays in operations. In addition, facilities within the airport are insufficient to meet the needs of airport users. Privatization can be used for a broad set of arrangements whereby the private sector shares operating risk with the government through a contract or agreement. In this regard, the important thing is the expectation of stakeholders in the area of Udonthani province about the ability to manage the airport to meet the needs of airport users efficiently. Airport Authority can apply the results from the research to be a case study on the importance and appropriateness of airport ownership and management of other airports in Thailand