Thai Airports Passenger Traffic Grew 16pc in 2013

20th Mar 2014

Thailand is a land of world-class attractions ranging from the man-made to natural wonders which have been magnets to both domestic and foreign visitors.

The country, which is located in mainland Asia, is home to over 67 million people spread across its vast land that stretches from Thai highlands in the north down to the Kra isthmus that connects the peninsular Malaysia in the south. The country is a newly-industrialized economy which has Southeast Asia's second largest next only to Indonesia.

Tourism has been a major economic mainstay in Thailand, contributing 6.7% to the country's economy in 2007. International visitors are attracted to the country's varied tourist attractions such as the magnificent religious temples as well as the nation's world-class beaches.

Seeing the huge potential of the tourism industry, the country invested heavily on infrastructures and support facilities such as roads, highways, mass transport system, hotels, beach resorts, and most importantly, the airports. Currently, the country hosts to no fewer than 33 commercial airports, six of which are the major international gateways of Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang (both in Bangkok), Chiang Mai, Phuket, Hat Yai and Chiang Rai.

Together, these six major international gateways saw a 16% growth during the 12-month period ending 2013. This figure represents 88 million passengers, both domestic and international. Due to the transfer of low-cost airlines base of operations to Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi saw a slight decline by 3.1%. It was a stark contrast to Don Mueang Airport which saw the highest growth at 175% among the six major international gateways.

The six international airports' combined passenger traffic movement increased by over 87% in 2013 over 2005 when data from anna.aero was first available. Except for 2008 and 2009, the traffic at all major international airports went up. During those years, the country was disturbed by a political crisis as well as the global financial crisis. Interestingly, only Phuket International Airport was able to grow by 1.4% during those two years.

The passenger traffic at Bangkok's two major airports contributed almost 80% of the total figure during the nine-year period.

Suvarnabhumi International Airport has already reached its full capacity since its opening in 2006 as Bangkok's main international gateway. The airport was designed to handle only up to 45 million passengers per year but it breached its capacity in 2011 when it handled over 48 million.

As a result, the Thai government lured away low-cost airline operators to move their base of operations to the older Don Mueang Airport.

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