Passenger traffic growth at Thai airports returns to positive levels

THAILAND. Passenger traffic growth at Thailand’s airports have returned to positive levels, beginning in the first quarter (October-December 2014), after a year of negative growth caused by the political turmoil in the country at the start of 2014.

The first signs of positive growth began in October (+2.62%), increasing steadily in November (+5.05%) and December (+11.88%). In January 2015, Airports of Thailand (AoT) handled 5.47 million passengers, an increase of +13.69% year-on-year. Including domestic passengers, total passengers for the month reached 9.52 million, up +17.67%.

The numbers cover AoT’s entire national airport network, including Suvarnabhumi (Thailand’s flagship gateway) and Don Muang in Bangkok as well as Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Chiang Rai.

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Following the relocation of several airlines from Suvarnabhumi to Don Muang in October 2012, AoT has started providing combined passenger traffic figures for the two airports to give a better indication of overall traffic to/from Bangkok.

International traffic at Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang combined hit 4.60 million in January 2015, an increase of +15.76%. Including domestic passengers, total traffic for the two airports grew by +18.62% to7.09 million.

Suvarnabhumi posted a rise in international passenger traffic of +11.72% to 3.96 million. Including domestic passengers, total passenger figures reached 4.76 million, up +8.47%.

From a much smaller base, international traffic at Don Muang grew by a solid +49.38% to 636,615. Including domestic passengers, total passenger traffic rose by +46.73% to 2.33 million.

Only two Thai airports recorded declines in international passenger traffic in January: Phuket International Airport (-1.47%) and Chiang Rai International Airport (-58.03%).

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