Smoking rooms at Suvarnabhumi Airport not yet approved

National Tobacco Products Control Committee task force to study issue

Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin said on Saturday that a proposal by Airports of Thailand (AOT) to provide rooms for smoking at Suvarnabhumi Airport has not yet been approved by a ministry committee.

Somsak chaired a meeting of the National Tobacco Products Control Committee on Friday, which deliberated on a motion that could require amendments to the ministry’s regulations regarding areas allowed for smoking in public buildings.

The minister said the committee resolved not to approve the proposal yet. Instead, it established a five-person task force to investigate the areas proposed for smoking rooms within Suvarnabhumi Airport in Samut Prakan province and evaluate the impact on airport users.

Somsak said the task force would also check current smoking areas outside the passenger terminals that AOT claimed can be reached by an electric train in one minute. If existing smoking areas are adequate and have no impact on passengers, an amendment to the ministry’s regulations might not be required after all, he said.

However, the committee did not set a timeframe for the task force to submit an evaluation report, Somsak said.The minister added that the committee will also look into the possibility of raising the fine for those who smoke outside the permitted areas at airports from 5,000 baht currently to 10,000 baht to encourage compliance with regulations.

Before the meeting, committee members reportedly congratulated Somsak for being named Tobacco Control Champion this year by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA).

In 2010, Thailand ratified the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control for five years and amended the law to prohibit smoking areas or smoking rooms in public places nationwide, as required by the convention, except for international airports.

In 2018, Thailand eliminated smoking rooms within airports, both domestic and international.

(2025/02/08-00:00)