At the same time, international passenger traffic has increased 4.4 percent over the same period. The total number of passengers handled by Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, the Phuket International Airport, Chiang Mai Airport, Hat Yai Airport and Chiang Rai’s Mae Fah Luang Airport reached 141 million travellers.
Unsurprisingly, Suvarnabhumi Airport handled the highest number of passengers (64.7 million) showing a 3 percent increase. Don Mueang is the closest runner-up with 41 million passengers, also a 1.1 percent up. Phuket managed 17.85 million; Chiang Mai – 11.32 million; Hat Yai – 4 million; and Chiang Rai – 3 million people.
Passenger traffic in Phuket and Hat Yai airports decreased 2.3 and 5.6 percent respectively while both Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai performed well compared to the previous period – 4.7 and 5.3 percent up.
Domestic travel dropped in all airports except Suvarnabhumi and Chiang Rai.
Interestingly, the volumes of passengers who choose budget airlines continues to rise. The rise concerns both international passengers (whooping 16.41 percent more) and domestic travellers (1.42 percent more).
Passenger Arrivals Up in Thailand but Domestic Travel Drops
News in Asia
Passenger numbers on domestic routes in Thailand dropped 1.4 percent over the last 12 months, the Airports of Thailand (AOT), the body that manages Thailand's six biggest airports has reported recently.