AoT President, Nitinai Siriratikarn, said on Wednesday (Apr 3) that Phuket International Airport is expecting 458,000 arrivals over the festive period, or an average of 65,400 people per day. This represents an increase of 16.2% on the same period in 2018.
Mr Nitinai also said that the airport expects to handle 2,300 flights over the seven-day period – an average of 330 flights per day which represents a decrease of 5.8% compared with the same period in 2018.
Phuket International Airport is one of the six major airports in Thailand that are expecting a high influx of tourist arrivals over Songkran. The other five are Suvarnabhumi in Samut Prakan, Don Mueang in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai in Songkhla and Mae Fah Luang in Chiang Rai.
In total, the six airports expect a total of 3.21 million arrivals between April 11 and April 17 – an average of 458,400 people each day. This represents an increase of 12.3% on 2018 figures.
The total number of flights that the six airports are forecast to handle over the period is 18,640 which is an average of 2,640 per day. This highlights a 6.1% increase compared with the same period in 2018.
Mr Nitinai announced the individual forecasts for the other five major airports over the seven-day period as follows:
Suvarnabhumi Airport expects 1.37 million tourist arrivals (196,000 people per day), representing a 5.8% increase. The forecast for the total number of flights is 7,700, or 1,100 per day, representing an increase of 7%.
Don Mueang Airport expects 970,000 arrivals (138,000 per day), representing an 18% increase. The forecast for the total number of flights is 5,800, or 830 per day, representing an increase of 7.7%.
Chiang Mai Airport expects 246,000 arrivals (35,000 per day), representing a 19.7% increase. The forecast for the total number of flights is 1,640 flights or an average of 230 flights per day – an increase of 20%.
Hat Yai Airport is expecting 87,000 tourist arrivals over the period, or an average of 12,400 per day, representing a 3% increase. Total flights expected is 580 or an average of 80 flights per day. This highlights a decrease of 1.4% in comparison with the same period in 2018.
Mae Fah Luang Airport in Chiang Rai is expecting 80,000 arrivals in total, or 11,400 per day – an increase of 36.8%. The total number of flights expected is 440 or around 60 flights per day. This represents an increase of 6.3%.