Phuket International Airport

Phuket International Airport is an international airport serving the island province of Phuket in southern Thailand. It is located north of the city of Phuket in the Mai Khao subdistrict of Thalang district. The airport plays a major role in Thailand's tourism industry, as Phuket is a popular resort destination. It is the third-busiest airport in Thailand in terms of passengers, after Suvarnabhumi Airport and Don Mueang International Airport in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. The airport set a record of 15.1 million arrivals and departures in 2016, up 17.8 percent from 2015.

Facilities

Terminals

Phuket International Airport features three distinct terminals to manage its air traffic. Terminal 2 is designated for international flights, while Terminal 3 handles domestic flights. Terminal X, specifically intended for charter flights, was opened in February 2014.
To accommodate increasing passenger traffic, Phuket International Airport underwent a significant expansion and renovation project, which was completed in 2016 at a cost of 5.14 billion baht. This expansion of the new international terminal increased its capacity to handle 12.5 million passengers annually. Overall, the expansion enhanced the airport's total capacity from 6.5 million to 20 million passengers per year.
In light of the airport's congestion and limited space for further expansion, a proposal for a rail link from Krabi International Airport, an alternate location, was put forward in 2012. This suggestion aimed to alleviate the growing traffic and logistical challenges faced by Phuket Airport.

Future

A proposal for a new international airport has been put forward, aimed at serving three provinces: Phang Nga, Phuket, and Krabi. The construction of this airport is planned to be carried out in two phases. The first phase of the project was anticipated to be completed by 2025, but in 2022, the entire proposal was put on hold. The new airport was intended to function as an alternative to the existing Phuket and Krabi airports, offering additional capacity and potentially alleviating air traffic congestion in the region.

Airlines and destinations

Traffic statistics

Phuket is a favorite tourist destination in the region. International passengers mainly come from Asia Pacific and Europe. In 2012 it ranked second-busiest in total passenger traffic, after Suvarnabhumi Airport in the Bangkok metropolitan area. In mid-2015 the airport, designed to handle 20 flights per hour, was servicing 23 per hour.
Phuket airport handled 12.9 million passengers in 2015, 12.8 percent more than 2014, with international numbers rising 8.27 percent to 6.95 million and domestic up 18.6 percent to 5.9 million. Aircraft movements grew 11.6 percent to 84,758, with 43,996 international and 40,762 domestic.

Passenger movements

Aircraft movements

Year	Domestic	International	Total	Change%
1995	11,135	9,380	20,515	6.79
1996	11,586	9,626	21,212	3.40
1997	11,402	10,257	21,659	2.11
1998	9,673	10,272	19,945	7.91
1999	9,391	11,887	21,278	6.68
2000	11,850	11,472	23,322	9.61
2001	12,705	12,467	25,172	7.93
2002	10,920	12,248	23,168	7.96
2003	12,669	12,015	24,684	6.54
2004	16,765	15,917	32,682	32.40
2005	14,115	9,970	24,085	26.30
2006	17,207	13,680	30,887	28.24
2007	23,915	16,884	40,799	32.09
2008	20,814	17,177	37,991	6.88
2009	20,883	16,987	37,870	0.32
2010	25,311	23,257	48,568	28.25
2011	27,932	28,741	56,673	16.69
2012	28,578	32,426	61,004	7.64
2013	32,370	40,219	72,589	18.99
2014	35,096	40,878	75,974	4.66
2015	40,762	43,996	84,758	16.1
2016	48,883	48,930	97,813	15.4
2017	52,609	53,484	106,093	8.5
2018	54,514	63,766	118,280	11.49
2019	50,409	65,167	115,576	2.29
2020	25,505	13,343	38,848	66.4
2021	14,347	4,177	18,524	52.32
2022	36,033	21,436	57,469	210.24
2023	44,080	43,224	87,304	51.91
2024	46,369	57,306	103,675	23.15

Freight tonnage

Year	Domestic	International	Total	Change%
1995	5,659	5,021	10,680	198.16
1996	7,994	5,620	13,614	27.47
1997	8,285	7,522	15,807	16.11
1998	8,213	7,683	15,896	0.56
1999	10,963	11,455	22,418	41.03
2000	9,841	11,091	20,932	6.63
2001	9,345	9,651	18,996	9.25
2002	10,352	12,855	23,207	22.17
2003	10,866	12,338	23,204	0.01
2004	13,382	14,659	28,041	20.85
2005	12,306	6,425	18,731	33.20
2006	13,384	4,729	18,113	3.30
2007	13,268	6,452	19,720	8.87
2008	12,671	6,535	19,206	2.61
2009	13,195	7,780	20,975	9.21
2010	17,434	12,810	30,244	44.19
2011	17,627	10,687	28,314	6.38
2012	18,798	15,541	34,339	21.28
2013	17,234	17,386	34,620	0.82
2014	17,653	22,631	40,284	16.36
2015	14,552	22,822	37,374	7.22
2016	14,676	28,538	43,214	5.73
2017	15,670	37,529	53,990	23.1
2018	15,864	46,274	62,138	15.09
2019	11,592	41,120	52,712	15.17
2020	4,429	10,797	11,904	78.1
2021	2,111	2,098	4,209	64.64
2022	3,152	3,391	6,543	68.37
2023	4,699	27,518	32,217	330.71
2024	4,549	53,106	57,655	78.96

Busiest international routes

Busiest domestic routes

Rank	Airport	Passengers handled	Change%
1	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi	3,371,171	0.29%
2	Bangkok–Don Mueang	3,005,310	9.86%
3	Chiang Mai	415,771	12.23%
4	Pattaya	165,992	4.58%
5	Koh Samui	154,242	10.97%

Phuket Airport passenger totals (millions)

Incidents and accidents

15 April 1985: A Thai Airways Company Boeing 737-200 crashed, killing all 11 people on board. The crew had issued a radio call informing air traffic control that both engines had flamed out. No cause could be determined for the engine shutdown.
31 August 1987: Thai Airways Flight 365, a Boeing 737-200 from Hat Yai International Airport crashed into the ocean upon final approach, killing all 83 people on board. The investigation determined pilot error as the primary cause.
16 September 2007: One-Two-Go Airlines Flight 269 arriving on a scheduled flight from Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport crashed after hitting the runway while attempting to land in driving rain and severe wind shear. The McDonnell Douglas MD-82 slid off the runway, split into two, and exploded into flames after an apparent attempt to execute a go-around moments before touchdown. There were 123 passengers and seven crew on board; 89 died and 40 were injured.