Thai Airways International (THAI) began testing the world’s largest commercial airline hanger Wednesday at Suvarnabhumi Airport, a facility executives hope will ensure service for aircraft of various sizes in the years to come.

Permanent Secretary of Transportation and Chairman of THAI, Wanchai Sarathulthat supervised the facility’s trial run Wednesday morning as maintenance workers brought a Boeing 747-400 into the hangar. The purpose of Wednesday’s test was to ensure that equipment involved with repair and maintenance work was operational ahead of Suvarnabhumi Airport’s grand opening later this month.

After testing was complete, Wanchai said everything went smoothly and proclaimed the new facility ready to meet modern aviation demands. The hanger has the ability to simultaneously service three Airbus A380s, which will be the world’s largest passenger jet once it enters service.

The hangar meets International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, according to Wing Commander Supoch Srisod, vice president of THAI’s Line and Light Maintenance Department. He added that the new facility will allow THAI to increase the number of clients it serves.

About 70 percent of THAI’s maintenance equipment has already been relocated from Bangkok International Airport (Don Muang) to Suvarnabhumi Airport. All necessary equipment is scheduled to be relocated to the new facility by the time domestic flights begin operating out of Suvarnabhumi Airport on September 15.

The structure, including the roof, is made of steel and weighs a total of 10,000 tonnes, which is heavier than Eiffel Tower in Paris at 7,000 tonnes. The hangar is 35 metres tall, 90 metres wide and 270 metres long. The total area for aircraft service is 27,000 square metres.

The hangar cost 1.2 billion baht to build and employs 1,500 maintenance operators.