The management of Chiang Mai Airport has justified its choice to grant Grab exclusive rights for ride-hailing services within the passenger terminal.
Airport General Manager Ronnakorn Chalermsanyakorn stipulated that only vehicles using the Grab application are permitted to collect passengers at the airport.
According to him, the airport categorizes vehicles into two groups for service provision. Grab is classified under the group of non-regular transportation providers endorsed by the airport, alongside taxis from two designated companies and airport vans.
The second category encompasses public transportation, which encompasses the standard city bus service along with songthaews authorized solely for passenger drop-offs.
Operators falling under these two categories receive authorization from the airport to enable oversight of service quality and passenger safety.
Following a video shared by a driver using the Bolt app expressing frustration over being prohibited from accessing the airport to pick up passengers, airport officials clarified that services at the airport are reserved exclusively for approved providers like Grab.
The clip, where an official is heard explaining the airport’s regulations, surfaced on social media, although the exact date of its upload remains undisclosed.
Chiang Mai Airport operates under the purview of Airports of Thailand Plc.
