The Airports of Thailand (AoT) is anticipating a significant increase in passenger traffic at all international airports during the upcoming New Year weekend. To prepare for the expected surge, Kerati Kijmanawat, the president of AoT, recently inspected the facilities at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, and Chiang Mai airports.
According to Mr. Kerati, air traffic from Friday until January 4th is projected to rise. Suvarnabhumi Airport is expected to welcome 873,441 passengers from 5,593 flights, translating to approximately 177,920 passengers from 968 flights per day. Don Mueang Airport is predicted to receive 5,593 flights and 873,441 passengers during the same period. Chiang Mai Airport, on the other hand, will receive 180,990 passengers from 1,234 flights.
Flight volume at Don Mueang Airport, which primarily serves low-cost carriers, prompted Mr. Kerati to order streamlined traffic management for incoming passengers. Additionally, the baggage conveyor belts and self-service check-in kiosks were inspected to ensure efficient operations.
Phuket International Airport also expects an increase in air traffic during the New Year period. It is anticipated that 63,836 passengers from at least 333 flights will land at the airport from Friday through to January 1st, with an average of at least 15,959 people from 83 flights per day. The majority of these flights are domestic, with around 36,026 passengers from at least 271 flights expected to enter the island.
In relation to Phuket’s tourism industry, bookings for 101,556 rooms across 1,890 hotels are expected to reach 81.69% occupancy over the next four days. This surge in tourism is estimated to bring at least 8.3 billion baht in revenue to the province, according to Lertchai Wangtrakuldee, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Phuket office.
