Chiang Mai International Airport

Aerial view of the airport's runways and southern part of the city, captured from Doi Suthep

Chiang Mai International Airport Template:Airport codes is an international airport in Suthep subdistrict, Mueang Chiang Mai district, Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand. It is a major gateway that links northern Thailand to the rest of the region and is currently the fourth-busiest airport in the country. It is managed by Airports of Thailand.

History

Front of Chiang Mai International Airport

Chiang Mai Airport International Departure Hall

Airplanes at Chiang Mai International Airport

The airport began operations in 1934 as Suthep Airport,<ref>ประวัติความเป็นมา</ref> after it developed as an airstrip in the early 1920s. Until World War Two, it was used mainly for postal delivery services, with some military use. During the war, it was used by the occupying Japanese forces, and was hence attacked by British and US air forces.<ref name=alacarte>The Chiang Mai International Airport, Chiang Mai a la Carte Tour</ref>

The first scheduled passenger flight to Chiang Mai arrived in 1947, with the foundation of Siamese Airways. At this time and until the late 1950s the runway surface was still grass or dirt, with very few support buildings.<ref name=alacarte/>

Airports of Thailand expanded the terminal with upgrades in 2014 including expansion of the apron for larger planes, extending operating hours to 24/7 (effective April 2014), and enlarging the international arrival hall and domestic departure hall.<ref name="expands">Template:Cite web</ref> As of 2018, 31 airlines operated at CNX, serving 11 million passengers, 78,210 flights and 14,612 tonnes of cargo.<ref name=AOT>Template:Cite web</ref>

As a result of the temporary closure of Suvarnabhumi Airport in 2008 due to the protests, Chiang Mai was used as an alternative stopover for China Airlines flights between Taipei and Europe and for Swiss International Air Lines' Singapore-Zurich flights. On 24 January 2011, the airport became a secondary hub for Thai AirAsia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> China Airlines subsequently regularised the stopover.

Facilities

The airport is at an elevation of Template:Convert above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 18/36 with an asphalt surface measuring Template:Convert.<ref name="WAD">Template:Usurped from DAFIF (effective Oct 2006)</ref> There are two terminals, one for domestic passengers and the other for international flights.Template:Citation needed

Statistics

Traffic by calendar year

Comparison of passenger volume, aircraft movements and cargo volume at Chiang Mai International Airport, by year<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Year	Passengers	Change from previous year	Movements	Cargo (tons)	Notes
2011	3,880,037	–	32,445	21,484
2012	4,491,331	Template:IncreaseTemplate:015.75%	36,981	19,628
2013	5,463,921	Template:IncreaseTemplate:021.65%	43,366	18,188
2014	6,630,624	Template:IncreaseTemplate:021.35%	52,642	17,796
2015	8,365,851	Template:IncreaseTemplate:026.17%	63,843	18,425
2016	9,446,320	Template:IncreaseTemplate:012.92%	69,202	18,512
2017	10,230,280	Template:IncreaseTemplate:08.3%	71,994	17,302
2018	10,989,869	Template:IncreaseTemplate:07.42%	78,210	14,615
2019	11,333,548	Template:IncreaseTemplate:03.13%	79,504	12,313
2020	4,851,475	Template:DecreaseTemplate:057.19%	39,455	4,915
2021	1,762,732	Template:DecreaseTemplate:063.67%	16,051	3,318
2022	5,459,481	Template:IncreaseTemplate:0209.72%	39,027	5,584
2023	8,224,573	Template:IncreaseTemplate:050.65%	55,663	5,255
2024	9,082,071	Template:IncreaseTemplate:06.88%	59,493	5,474

Busiest international routes 2019

Busiest international routes to and from Chiang Mai Airport (2019)<ref name="stats">Template:Cite web</ref>

Rank	Airport	Passengers handled	Change %
1	Template:Flagicon Shanghai–Pudong	446,398	Template:Increase 18.41%
2	Template:Flagicon Hong Kong	323,897	Template:Decrease 10.71%
3	Template:Flagicon Guangzhou	297,819	Template:Increase 3.67%
4	Template:Flagicon Seoul–Incheon	251,805	Template:Increase 64.77%
5	Template:Flagicon Kunming	232,791	Template:Increase 15.44%
6	Template:Flagicon Taipei–Taoyuan	221,975	Template:Increase 192.24%
7	Template:Flagicon Kuala Lumpur–International	171,918	Template:Decrease 3.84%
8	Template:Flagicon Singapore	128,657	Template:Decrease 4.99%
9	Template:Flagicon Macau	112,956	Template:Decrease 11.17%
10	Template:Flagicon Hangzhou	110,614	Template:Increase 43.60%

Busiest domestic routes 2019

Busiest domestic routes to and from Chiang Mai Airport (2019)<ref name="stats"/>

Rank	Airport	Passengers handled	Change %
1	Bangkok–Don Mueang	3,565,272	Template:Increase 0.39%
2	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi	2,866,138	Template:Decrease 1.81%
3	Phuket	415,726	Template:Decrease 12.27%
4	Pattaya	323,547	Template:Increase 0.40%
5	Krabi	209,382	Template:Decrease 0.31%

External links

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