Suvarnabhumi Airport

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Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox airport

Suvarnabhumi Airport (Template:Langx) Template:Airport codes<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is the main international airport serving Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand. It is one of two airports serving Bangkok, the other being Don Mueang International Airport (DMK).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Located mostly in Racha Thewa commune, Bang Phli district, Samut Prakan province, it covers an area of Template:Convert,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> making it one of the biggest international airports in Southeast Asia, tenth biggest in the world<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and a regional hub for aviation. It has an Airport Rail Link, an Automated People Mover as well as being located close to Motorway 7.

Tentatively named Nong NguhaoTemplate:Efn before changing to Suvarnabhumi (a toponym that appears in many ancient Indian literary sources and Buddhist text) Suvarnabhumi is the busiest in the country, ninth busiest airport in Asia, and 20th busiest airport in the world, handling 62,234,693 passengers in 2024. As of 2025, it is served by the most airlines in the world, with 113 airlines operating from the airport.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>with 7 route more 10000 Kilometre Non-stop flight namely Vancouver,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Anchorage,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> London-Gatwick, London-Heathrow, Madrid–Barajas<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The airport serves as a primary hub for Thai Airways International and K-Mile Air, and an operating base for Bangkok Airways, Thai VietJet Air and Thai AirAsia. It serves as a regional gateway and connecting point for various foreign carriers connecting to Asia, Oceania, Europe, and Africa. The airport is operated by Airports of Thailand.

Etymology

Template:Main Suvarṇabhūmi literally means "land of gold".Template:Efn The name was chosen by King Bhumibol Adulyadej whose name includes Bhūmi, referring to the "Buddhist golden kingdom", thought to have been to the east of the Ganges, possibly somewhere in Southeast Asia. In Thailand, government proclamations and national museums insist that Suvarnabhumi was somewhere on the coast of the central plains, near the ancient city of U Thong, which might be the origin of the Indianised Dvaravati culture.<ref>Damrong Rachanubhab, "History of Siam in the Period Antecedent to the Founding of Ayuddhya by King Phra Chao U Thong", Miscellaneous Articles: Written for the Journal of the Siam Society by His late Royal Highness Prince Damrong, Bangkok, 1962, pp. 49–88, p. 54; Promsak Jermsawatdi, Thai Art with Indian Influences, New Delhi, Abhinav Publications, 1979, pp. 16–24. William J. Gedney, "A Possible Early Thai Route to the Sea", Journal of the Siam Society, Volume 76, 1988, pp. 12–16. [1] Template:Webarchive</ref> Although the claims have not been substantiated, the Thai government named the new Bangkok airport Suvarnabhumi Airport, in celebration of this tradition.

History

A Thai Airbus A340-500 (HS-TLA, Chiang Kham) at Suvarnabhumi Airport in 2008
A Siamland flying service (HS-CPG) smallest plane International Passengers<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> operations at Suvarnabhumi

Suvarnabhumi was officially opened for limited domestic flight service on 15 September 2006, and opened for most domestic and all international commercial flights on 28 September 2006.<ref>"Bangkok's new airport opens to first commercial flights", USA Today, 15 September 2006.</ref>

The airport is located on what had formerly been known as Nong NguhaoTemplate:Efn in Racha Thewa in Bang Phli, Samut Prakan province, as well as the districts of Bang Kapi, Lat Krabang, Bang Na, and Prawet in the eastern side of Bangkok, about Template:Convert from downtown. The terminal building was designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn Architects. It was constructed primarily by ITO JV. The airport had the world's tallest free-standing control tower (Template:Convert) from 2006 to 2014<ref name="ATCT">Template:Cite web</ref> and for a time held the title for the world's fourth largest single-building airport terminal (Template:Convert).Template:Fact

Suvarnabhumi was reassigned the IATA airport code, BKK, from Don Mueang after that airport ceased international commercial flights. Motorway 7 connects the airport, Bangkok, and the heavily industrial eastern seaboard of Thailand, where most export manufacturing takes place.

Check-in hall at Suvarnabhumi Airport, seen from the upper level

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport was temporarily converted to a hospital<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and vaccination center.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Check-in hall in night seen at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Art pieces at Suvarnabhumi Airport

Land purchase, initial early phase of construction

"The Japanese government would end up assisting the new airport project as ODA, and in 1996, the project took a step forward with the signing of a loan agreement between the Government of Thailand and the Japanese government. Then, in 1996, Second Bangkok International Airport Company Ltd. (SBIA) was established as the project implementation organization, and the project got underway."<ref name="proj"/>

It was scheduled to finish by 2000.<ref name="proj">Template:Cite web</ref>

Airport tests and official opening

The airport was due to open in late 2004. Still, a series of budget overruns, construction flaws, and allegations of corruption plagued the project.

A further delay was caused by the discovery that the airport had been built over an old graveyard. Superstitious construction workers claimed to have seen ghosts there. On 23 September 2005, the Thai airport authority held a ceremony where 99 Buddhist monks chanted to appease the spirits.<ref>Richard Lloyd Parry, "Poo Ming – a blue ghost who haunts $4bn airport", The Times, 27 September 2006</ref>

Full tests of the airport took place on 3 and 29 July 2006. Six local airlines — Thai Airways International, Nok Air, Thai AirAsia, Bangkok Airways, PBair, and One-Two-Go Airlines — used the airport as a base for twenty domestic flights.<ref>ThaiDay, "THAI discounts tickets for historic test flights" Template:Webarchive, 1 July 2006.</ref><ref>"PM Thaksin says Suvarnabhumi Airport ready in two months", MCOT, 29 July 2006. Template:Webarchive</ref>

Suvarnabhumi officially opened at 03:00 on 28 September 2006, taking over all flights from Don Mueang. The first flight to arrive was a Lufthansa Cargo flight LH8442 from Mumbai at 03:05.<ref>Pennapa Hongthong, Just listen to our noisy nightmare Template:Webarchive, The Nation, 28 September 2006</ref> The first Asian commercial arrival was Japan Airlines at 03:30. The next arrival was Aerosvit flight VV171 from Kyiv at 04:30, and the first cargo departure was Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SV-984 to Riyadh at 05:00.<ref>Petchanet Pratruangkrai, Suchat Sritama, Exporters pan new export fees Template:Webarchive, The Nation, 27 September 2006</ref> Aerosvit also had the first passenger departure (VV172 to Kyiv) around 05:30.<ref>Kurt Hofmann, LH Cargo set to be first into Suvarnabhumi, ATW, 28 September 2006 Template:Webarchive</ref>

Initial difficulties

Difficulties were reported in the first few days of the airport's operation. On the first day alone, sluggish luggage handling was common—the first passenger arrival by Aerosvit took an hour for the luggage to start coming out, and some flights did not have their luggage coming out even after four hours. Flights were delayed (Thai Airways claimed that 17 of 19 flights were delayed that day), and there were failures with the check-in system.<ref>Suchat Sritma, Touch down...into chaos Template:Webarchive, 29 September 2006</ref><ref>e-Travel Blackboard, Baggage ruffles up some feathers, but Suvarnabhumi still a success, 29 September 2006 Template:Webarchive</ref> Subsequent problems included the failure of the cargo computer system, and the departure boards displaying the wrong information, resulting in confused passengers (unlike Don Mueang, there were no "final calls" issued).<ref>The Nation, Airport shippers hit by computer failure Template:Webarchive, 2 October 2006</ref>

Months after its opening, issues of congestion, construction quality, signage, provision of facilities, and soil subsidence continued to plague the project, prompting calls to reopen Don Mueang to allow for repairs to be made.<ref>Some flight services will likely return the Don Muang Airport, The Nation, 29 January 2007. </ref> Expert opinions varied widely on the extent of Suvarnabhumi's problems as well as their root cause. Most airlines stated that damage to the airport was minimal.<ref name="The Nation">The Nation, Engineers unable to agree on root cause of airport cracks Template:Webarchive, 10 February 2007</ref><ref>The Nation, THAI baulks at moving to Don Muang, 15 February 2007</ref> Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont reopened Don Mueang for domestic flights voluntarily on 16 February 2007, with 71 weekly flights moved back initially, but no international flights.<ref>Thailand backtracks on plan for second international airport, Channel NewsAsia, 16 February 2007 Template:Webarchive</ref>

Capacity and safety issues

Tarmac problems

In January 2007, ruts were discovered in the runways at Suvarnabhumi.<ref>A Rough Takeoff for Bangkok's New Airport, Time, 25 January 2007</ref> The east runway was scheduled to close for repairs. Expert opinions varied as to the cause of the ruts.<ref name="The Nation"/> Airport authorities and airline representatives maintained that the airport was still safe and resisted suggestions that the airport should be completely closed and all flights moved back to Don Mueang.<ref>New airport's east runway to close for repairs, return to Don Muang mooted, Thai News Agency, MCOT, 27 January 2007. Template:Webarchive</ref>

On 27 January 2007, the Department of Civil Aviation declined to renew the airport's safety certificate, which had expired the previous day. The ICAO requires that international airports hold aerodrome safety certificates, but Suvarnabhumi continued to operate because the ICAO requirement had yet to be adopted as part of Thai law.<ref>"Bangkok airport officially unsafe", CNN, 27 January 2007 Template:Webarchive</ref>

As of early 2016, tarmac problems persisted at Suvarnabhumi. Soft spots on the tarmac, taxiways, and apron area had not been permanently fixed. Aircraft were getting stuck on the soft surfaces that are the result of sub-standard materials. "The constant resurfacing of the tarmac, taxiways and apron area with asphalt is an unacceptable patchwork solution. We literally need a "concrete" solution", said Tony Tyler, IATA's director general and CEO.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Plans to re-open Don Mueang for domestic flights

Airport traffic control tower (ATCT) at Suvarnabhumi Airport. At 132.2 meters, it is the world's third tallest ATC tower<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In January 2007, Thai Airways announced a plan to move some of its domestic operations back to Don Mueang International Airport due to overcrowding. Three days later, the Ministry of Transport recommended temporarily reopening Don Mueang while repair work on the runways at Suvarnabhumi proceeded. At that time, Thai Airways said it would shift most of its domestic flights back to Don Mueang while keeping flights with high international passenger connections such as Chiang Mai and Phuket at Suvarnabhumi. On 28 March 2009, Thai Airways discontinued all domestic flights from Don Mueang. Bangkok Airways and One-Two-GO Airlines had similar plans, but Bangkok Airways remained at Suvarnabhumi. Thai AirAsia said it would not move unless it could shift both its international and domestic operations, prompting them to stay at Suvarnabhumi for the time being. Nok Air and PBair were undecided, but Nok Air later relocated all flights to Don Mueang, where they operate today.<ref>Use Don Muang during repairs: 2 airlines Template:Webarchive, The Nation, 27 January 2007.</ref><ref>Move to use 2 airports gets mixed reception Template:Webarchive, The Nation, 31 January 2007.</ref> As of January 2010, only Nok Air and One-Two-GO operated domestic flights from Don Mueang Airport. PBair have ceased operations altogether. One-Two-GO was integrated into Orient Thai Airlines in July 2010, but continued to operate from Don Mueang Airport until liquidation in 2018. As of 1 October 2012, Air Asia has moved all of its Bangkok operations to Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) from Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK).<ref>AirAsia moves to Don Mueang Airport (1 October 2012), Air Asia, 13 August 2012. Template:Webarchive</ref>

Repair and upgrades

Airports of Thailand found that the cost of fixing 60 identified problems at the airport would be less than one percent of the total airline cost and the problems could be fixed in four to five years. Dr Narupol Chaiyut, a member of a committee overseeing service problems at the new airport, estimated that 70 percent of the problems would be fixed in 2007. Twenty of the 60 problems were successfully fixed by February 2007.<ref>B1bn needed to fix terminal problems over four to five years, Bangkok Post, 16 February 2007Template:Dead link</ref>

Architectural design

A depiction of the "Churning of the Ocean of Milk", Samudra manthana, at the airport
Concourse Design: 5-pin arch-truss-girders with glazed facades and a translucent fabric membrane set-up, spanning across to bridge the 27 m spacing between the glass facades

Suvarnabhumi Airport's main terminal roof is designed with structural elements and bays placed in a cantilevered, wavelike form to appear to "float" over the concourse beneath. This overall design principle was to express the former essence of the site, from which water had to be drained before construction could begin. The eight composite 2,710-ton trusses supporting the canopy of the main terminal are essentially diagrams of the bending moments acting on them, with the greatest depth at mid-span and over the supports.<ref>Suvarnabhumi Airport, September 2008. University of Cincinnati. Template:Webarchive</ref>

The result of Helmut Jahn's vision is a structure with performance materials serve in their total composition and in use more than in their conventional roles. This maximizes daylight use in comfort with substantial energy life-cycle cost savings. The installed cooling system reduced up to 50 percent compared to a conventional system. A translucent membrane with three layers was developed to mediate between the interior and exterior climate, dealing with noise and temperature transmission, while still allowing natural flow of daylight into building along with views of greenery outside.<ref>E-Architect, Suvarnabhumi Airport Bangkok, 15 August 2008</ref>

Airport ranking

The airport was ranked number 48 among the world's top 100 airports in 2020. Other ASEAN airports in 2020 were ranked: Changi Airport, 1; Kuala Lumpur International Airport, 63; Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta, 35; Hanoi, 87.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Suvarnabhumi was ranked 46 in 2019,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 38 in 2017<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and 36 in 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) in 2018, the airport's ranking had not improved over the past six years. Customer complaints included lengthy immigration waiting times, transit day room issues, insufficient numbers of chairs and phone charging points, insufficient English-speaking staff, and poor information displays.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

As of 18 April 2024, the airport was ranked 58th by the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Events

  • On 25 January 2007, due to work upgrading the taxiways which suffered from small cracks, a few incoming flights were delayed and several flights were safely diverted to U-Tapao International Airport in Rayong Province.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
  • On 26 November 2008, an illegal occupation of the airport took place by People's Alliance for Democracy, closing the departure lounge and blocking exits and leaving almost 3,000 passengers stranded in the main terminal and another 350,000 stranded inside the country, as all flights were grounded. The People's Alliance for Democracy seized the control tower at 12:00.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 2 December 2008, protesters agreed to leave the airport as they had been illegally protesting and permitted the resumption of flights. Security checks, clean-ups, and re-certification once the illegal occupation ended delayed the airport from being fully functional until 5 December 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • On 5 January 2019, the airport gained international attention when a Saudi Arabian ex-Muslim, Rahaf Mohammed, fleeing an abusive family that punished children who did not follow their religion, was accosted by Thai authorities at the behest of Saudi Arabia and sent to one of the airport's hotels to await repatriation back to her family and country. Fearing that she could be killed for being a disgrace to her family and religion, she barricaded herself in the hotel room, opened a Twitter account to plead for her freedom, and requested assistance from United Nations agents to get her to the Western world, away from her family, as a resettled refugee. As her pleas for help went viral, Thai agents agreed to let her go to Canada to start a new life without Islam.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • In January 2021, a motorist drove his car through security gates and onto the tarmac at the airport while it was in use. It was later revealed that the driver had been under the influence of methamphetamine, which was also discovered in the trunk of the car. The driver claimed that he had taken a wrong turn.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Facilities

Airport terminal

Costing an estimated 155 billion baht (US$5 billion), the airport has three parallel runways (60 m wide, 4,000 m and 3,700 m long) and two parallel taxiways to accommodate simultaneous departures and arrivals.<ref>New Bangkok Airport – Now Aiming For July 2006 Opening, 2005. Bangkok Post. Template:Webarchive</ref>

The main passenger terminal building, with a capacity of handling 76 flight operations per hour, co-locates the international and domestic terminals, though assigning them to different parts of the concourse. In the initial phase of construction, it was capable of handling 45 million passengers and three million tonnes of cargo per year. The airport's main passenger terminal was, at the time of construction, the world's largest passenger terminal ever constructed in one phase at Template:Convert. The airport air-traffic control tower was the tallest in the world at Template:Convert from 2006 to 2014.<ref name="ATCT"/>

From the opening of Suvarnabhumi in 2006 to early 2017, eight people had fallen to their deaths from upper-floor walkways, prompting the airport to spend 33 million baht in 2013 building glass barriers to prevent people from falling and/or taking their lives.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Hotel

A 600-room hotel, now operated as Hyatt Regency, is located above the airport rail link station and in front of the main passenger terminal building. It originally opened in 2006 as Novotel, but was rebranded as Hyatt Regency in February 2025.

Expansion plans

Suvarnabhumi Airport map based on OSM graphics, actualized up to mid-2023

By mid-2015, the airport was handling more than 800 flights per day, higher than its 600-flight capacity. It has exceeded its capacity of 45 million passengers per year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Airports of Thailand (AOT) approved an investment budget for the expansion of Suvarnabhumi Airport and construction was expected to be completed by April 2023.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The plan was to strengthen Suvarnabhumi Airport's position as a regional aviation hub. Phase Two would raise the airport's capacity to 65 million passengers a year and would be undertaken in parallel with the construction of a new domestic terminal.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The new domestic terminal will be intended to accommodate more than 30 million passengers annually by 2027.<ref name="expansion">Template:Cite news</ref>

The two expansion projects are part of the overall airport enlargement that would see Suvarnabhumi raise its annual passenger handling capacity to 125 million passengers, 90 million international and 35 million domestic passengers by 2024 at an estimated cost of 163 billion baht (US$5.25 billion/€3.62 billion). The expansion includes the construction of one additional runway of Template:Convert, subsequent enlargement of domestic and international terminals, and improvements to parking bays, car parks, and other airport infrastructure.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In March 2024, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said the third runway would open in October 2024, with a long-term target capacity of 150 million passengers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The runway was opened for full aircraft operations on 1 November 2024, increasing the operational capacity from 68 to 94 flights/hour.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Midfield Satellite Concourse 1 (SAT-1)

Template:See also A new midfield concourse called SAT-1 partially opened in September 2023<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and is expected to fully open from early 2024.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It is linked to the current main terminal via an underground automated people mover (APM) system. The new people mover was provided by Siemens using the NeoVAL technology.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The new satellite terminal has a total of 28 gates, with eight for the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8<ref name="Airport of Thailand Public Company Limited-2023">Template:Cite web</ref> super jumbo jet.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Spanning around 251,400 square meters, it will increase the airport's annual passenger handling capacity from 45 million to 60 million.<ref name="Airport of Thailand Public Company Limited-2023" /> The SAT-1 terminal was nominated as one of six airport terminals for the Prix Versailles World's Most Beautiful Airports Architectural Award for 2024, which was announced at UNESCO.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Future Expansion Projects (2025 onwards)

On 29 October 2024, it was reported that Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT) revised Suvarnabhumi's masterplan for expansion. The revision included cancelling a planned second Midfield Satellite Concourse (which would have been south of the existing satellite concourse) in favor of a massive new terminal on the airport's southern end. AOT made the revision due to fears that a second Midfield Satellite Concourse would not be enough to meet future demand. The new South Terminal will cost 120 billion baht ($3.7 billion USD) and have a capacity of 70 million passengers annually. It is set to open by the end of 2031. Alongside the new South Terminal, AOT is also planning the east terminal expansion project, which will add 81,000 square meters of space for passengers. Lastly, AOT has confirmed a fourth runway to be constructed east of Runway 1/19. The new runway will cost 20 billion baht ($615 million USD) and will be at least 12,000 feet in length, similar to the other runways at Suvarnabhumi. Bidding for contracts for the fourth runway is set to open in 2027, likely meaning that the runway will be completed alongside the new South Terminal. When fully complete, these projects will allow Suvarnabhumi Airport to serve 150 million passengers every year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Template:Incomplete list Template:Airport destination list

Cargo

Template:Airport destination list

Passenger traffic and statistics

Busiest international routes

Pre-COVID 19

Top 20 busiest international and domestic routes to and from Template:Nowrap by passenger volume (2019)<ref name="stats">Template:Cite web</ref>
Rank Airport Passengers
handled 2019
% change
2018/19
1 Template:Flagicon Hong Kong 3,756,449 Template:Decrease 6.57
2 Template:Flagicon Phuket 3,358,876 Template:Increase 0.03
3 Template:Flagicon Singapore 3,258,422 Template:Increase 3.04
4 Template:Flagicon Chiang Mai 2,864,525 Template:Decrease 1.61
5 Template:Flagicon Seoul–Incheon 2,689,306 Template:Increase 4.93
6 Template:Flagicon Taipei–Taoyuan 1,928,536 Template:Increase 3.58
7 Template:Flagicon Dubai–International 1,707,276 Template:Decrease 11.82
8 Template:Flagicon Shanghai–Pudong 1,600,930 Template:Increase 7.18
9 Template:Flagicon Samui 1,546,570 Template:Decrease 8.22
10 Template:Flagicon Guangzhou–Baiyun 1,510,461 Template:Increase 8.96
11 Template:Flagicon Ho Chi Minh City 1,238,942 Template:Increase 2.52
12 Template:Flagicon Tokyo–Haneda 1,230,506 Template:Increase 9.81
13 Template:Flagicon Manila 1,179,861 Template:Increase 17.34
14 Template:Flagicon Doha 1,166,972 Template:Increase 13.66
15 Template:Flagicon New Delhi 1,107,099 Template:Increase 2.01
16 Template:Flagicon Tokyo-Narita 1,089,048 Template:Decrease 8.70
17 Template:Flagicon Kuala Lumpur 1,078,045 Template:Decrease 5.26
18 Template:Flagicon Phnom Penh 976,966 Template:Increase 26.52
19 Template:Flagicon Beijing 956,320 Template:Increase 0.51
20 Template:Flagicon Krabi 929,294 Template:Increase 12.46

COVID-19 pandemic

Top 20 busiest international routes and domestic routes to and from Suvarnabhumi Airport by passenger volume (2023)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Rank Airport Passengers handled 2023 % change
2022/23
1 Template:Flagicon Phuket 2,916,880 Template:Increase 19.20
2 Template:Flagicon Seoul–Incheon 2,891,717 Template:Increase 129.68
3 Template:Flagicon Singapore 2,838,693 Template:Increase 19.20
4 Template:Flagicon Hong Kong 2,688,822 Template:Increase 397.64
5 Template:Flagicon Chiang Mai 2,383,102 Template:Increase 7.55
6 Template:Flagicon Taipei-Taoyuan 1,963,084 Template:Increase 364.57
7 Template:Flagicon Samui 1,653,028 Template:Increase 74.31
8 Template:Flagicon Dubai–International 1,398,078 Template:Increase 101.68
9 Template:Flagicon Tokyo–Narita 1,355,815 Template:Increase 93.79
10 Template:Flagicon Ho Chi Minh City 1,302,279 Template:Increase 88.99
11 Template:Flagicon Doha 1,146,882 Template:Increase 60.32
12 Template:Flagicon Phnom Penh 1,096,421 Template:Increase 56.67
13 Template:Flagicon New Delhi–Indira Gandhi 1,008,263 Template:Increase 53.75
14 Template:Flagicon Hanoi 968,508 Template:Increase 127.38
15 Template:Flagicon Kuala Lumpur 965,222 Template:Increase 82.28
16 Template:Flagicon Tokyo–Haneda 946,969 Template:Increase 146.47
17 Template:Flagicon Manila 926,615 Template:Increase 101.26
18 Template:Flagicon Krabi 796,900 Template:Increase 29.64
19 Template:Flagicon Osaka-Kansai 774,562 Template:Increase 428.36
20 Template:Flagicon Hat Yai 755,319 Template:Decrease 24.62
Top 10 busiest international routes to and from Template:Nowrap by cargo volume (2019)<ref name="stats"/>
Rank Airport Tons of cargo
handled 2019
% change
2018/19
1 Template:Flagicon Hong Kong 172,977 Template:Decrease 13.50
2 Template:Flagicon Singapore 99,397 Template:Decrease 9.29
3 Template:Flagicon Taipei–Taoyuan 92,475 Template:Decrease 11.61
4 Template:Flagicon Tokyo–Narita 61,431 Template:Decrease 15.68
5 Template:Flagicon Seoul–Incheon 50,125 Template:Decrease 6.47
6 Template:Flagicon Doha 46,884 Template:Increase 7.86
7 Template:Flagicon Shanghai–Pudong 39,479 Template:Decrease 13.01
8 Template:Flagicon Tokyo–Haneda 39,042 Template:Decrease 13.80
9 Template:Flagicon Dubai–International 27,479 Template:Decrease 11.36
10 Template:Flagicon London–Heathrow 25,450 Template:Decrease 9.44

Traffic by calendar year

Suvarnabhumi accounted for the largest share of air traffic at Thailand's airports in 2023, handling 51.7 million passengers in 2023, up by 80 percent from the previous year despite its passenger capacity of only 45 million a year.International Passengers handled 2024 more than 700000 people at 21 city and Domestic Passenser handled 2024 more than 6200 people at 16 Airport in 14 Province<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Template:Airport-Statistics

Comparison of passenger volume, aircraft movements and cargo volume at Template:Nowrap, by year
Year Passengers Change from
previous year
Movements Cargo
(tons)
Notes
2007 41,210,881 1,220,001
2008 38,603,490 Template:DecreaseTemplate:06.3251% 1,173,084
2009 40,500,224 Template:IncreaseTemplate:04.9133% 1,045,194
2010 42,784,967 Template:IncreaseTemplate:05.6413% 1,310,146
2011 47,910,744 Template:IncreaseTemplate:011.9803% 299,566
2012 53,002,328 Template:IncreaseTemplate:010.6272% 312,493 Airports Council International<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
low-cost airlines moved

their hubs to DMK in October 2012

2013 51,363,451 Template:DecreaseTemplate:03.0921% 288,004 1,236,223
2014 46,423,352 Template:DecreaseTemplate:09.6179% 289,568 1,234,176
2015 52,902,110 Template:IncreaseTemplate:013.9558% 317,066 1,230,563 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2016 55,892,428 Template:IncreaseTemplate:05.6530% 336,356 1,306,435 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2017 60,860,704 Template:IncreaseTemplate:08.8884% 350,508 1,439,913 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2018 63,379,077 Template:IncreaseTemplate:04.1379% 369,476 1,494,599 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2019 65,425,879 Template:IncreaseTemplate:03.2294% 380,051 1,324,268 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2020 16,706,235 Template:DecreaseTemplate:074.4654% 152,614 904,362 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2021 5,663,701 Template:DecreaseTemplate:066.0983% 111,729 1,120,357 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2022 28,754,350 Template:IncreaseTemplate:0407.6954% 221,331 1,184,157 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2023 51,699,104 Template:IncreaseTemplate:079.7957% 307,505 1,137,373 <ref name="AOT-2020">Template:Cite book</ref>
2024 62,234,693 Template:IncreaseTemplate:016.15% 357,181 1,388,272 <ref name="AOT-2020"/>

Traffic and Statistics

Busiest International Routes (2023/2024)
Rank Airport Passengers 2023 % Change
2023/24
Passengers 2024
1 Changi Airport 2,838,693 Template:Increase 14.72 3,256,607
2 Hong Kong International Airport 2,688,822 Template:Increase 17.97 3,171,875
3 Incheon International Airport 2,891,717 Template:Increase 2.40 2,960,986
4 Taoyuan International Airport 1,963,084 Template:Increase 27.19 2,496,909
5 Shanghai Pudong International Airport 703,115 Template:Increase 155.09 1,793,555
6 Dubai International Airport 1,398,078 Template:Increase 8.12 1,511,622
7 Narita International Airport 1,355,815 Template:Increase 8.67 1,473,323
8 Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport 454,400 Template:Increase 203.32 1,378,285
9 Hamad International Airport 1,146,882 Template:Increase 18.36 1,357,456
10 Tan Son Nhat International Airport 1,302,279 Template:Decrease 5.39 1,232,078
11 Ninoy Aquino International Airport 926,515 Template:Increase 20.42 1,115,734
12 Phnom Penh International Airport 1,096,421 Template:Decrease 0.86 1,086,986
13 Kuala Lumpur International Airport 965,222 Template:Increase 12.76 1,078,272
14 Indira Gandhi International Airport 1,008,263 Template:Increase 6.33 1,072,056
15 Haneda Airport 946,969 Template:Increase 9.11 1,033,240
16 Noi Bai International Airport 1,302,279 Template:Decrease 26.97 950,942
17 Kansai International Airport 774,562 Template:Increase 18.47 917,594
18 Yangon International Airport 744,086 Template:Increase 5.28 783,352
19 Kunming Changshui International Airport 243,370 Template:Increase 201.63 734,077
20 Chengdu Tianfu International Airport 246,281 Template:Increase 187.98 709,244
21 Beijing Capital International Airport 372,203 Template:Increase 88.13 700,234
Source: Airport Traffic report 2024<ref name="Airport Traffic Annual Report 2023">Template:Cite web</ref>
Busiest Domestic Routes (2023/2024)
Rank Airport Passengers 2023 % Change
2023/24
Passengers 2024
1 Phuket International Airport 2,916,880 Template:Increase 2.04 2,976,664
2 Chiang Mai International Airport 2,383,102 Template:Increase 2.34 2,438,917
3 Samui International Airport 1,653,028 Template:Increase 10.05 1,819,304
4 Krabi International Airport 796,900 Template:Decrease 1.39 785,816
5 Hat Yai International Airport 755,319 Template:Decrease 0.18 753,970
6 Chiang Rai International Airport 689,944 Template:Decrease 2.77 670,859
7 Khon Kaen Airport 708,353 Template:Decrease 8.67 655,209
8 Udon Thani International Airport 641,969 Template:Decrease 3.96 616,766
9 Ubon Ratchathani Airport 425,392 Template:Decrease 3.63 440,868
10 Surat Thani International Airport 309,837 Template:Decrease 27.76 223,838
11 Lampang Airport 89,330 Template:Decrease 5.09 84,970
12 Trat Airport 70,180 Template:Increase 9.02 76,512
13 Sukhothai Airport 64,712 Template:Increase 2.41 66,276
14 Narathiwat Airport 100,329 Template:Decrease 75.91 24,171
15 Mae Hong Son Airport 4,722 Template:Increase 109.16 9,877
16 Soneva Kiri Ko Mai Si Airport 8,263 Template:Decrease 24.64 6,227
17 Suvarnabhumi Airport 270 Template:Increase 735.92 2,257
18 Buriram Airport 1,172 Template:Decrease 32.67 789
19 Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport 64,993 Template:Decrease 99.77 145
20 Hua Hin Airport 26 Template:Increase 61.54 42
Sources: <ref>Airport Traffic report 2024</ref><ref name="Airport Traffic Annual Report 2023"/>

Incidents and accidents

Ground transportation

Rail

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Bus

Shuttle bus to Downtown Bangkok

S1 bus route is an air-conditioned bus route operated by Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA). The route traverse between the airport and Sanam Luang, with stops around Democracy Monument, Lan Luang Road and Wat Ratchanatdaram<ref name="S1bus_transitbangkok">Template:Cite web</ref>

Sky Lane Cycle Track

Sky Lane at Suvarnabhumi Airport

In December 2015, Airports of Thailand introduced the Sky Lane (Template:Langx), a cycling track around the Suvarnabhumi airport perimeter. The entrance to the Sky Lane is located in the northeastern corner of the airport area. Cyclists can bring their bicycles and bike here for free. The Sky Lane is a controlled-access, one-direction, two-lane track built only for cycling, so the riders can be ensured that they will not be bothered by any vehicle. The Sky Lane's length is 23.5 km, making it the longest in Asia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Sky Lane's facilities, which are specially designed for cyclists, include medical facilities, shops, food & beverage, track, parking lot and a rest area. The entrance gate is open from 06:00 to 18:00.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 23 November 2018, King Vajiralongkorn presided over the official opening of cycling lane at Suvarnabhumi airport and denominated the track as Happy and Healthy Bike Lane (Template:Langx).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Notes

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References

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