Phuket airport ready for high tourist season

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PHUKET, Oct 9 – Phuket international airport is expecting at least 30,000 passengers per day during the coming high season, starting late this month, according to the Airports of Thailand (AoT).

AoT acting president Pongsak Semson said the new terminal, to be in use in January, would relieve congestion at the airport, which has been receiving more than 10 million passengers annually and that the number will possibly rise to at least 20 million people in 2015-2016.

Prathuang Sornkhom, general manager of Phuket International Airport, said the facility received 10.9 million passengers in the 2013 fiscal year, representing a 33 per cent increase, and 70,198 flights or 27.38 per cent higher year-on-year.

About 200 flights and over 30,000 passengers currently arrive at Phuket airport daily and the number will increase to 215-220 flights during the high season, he said.

Phuket airport made Bt4 billion revenue, a Bt2 billion profit, in the 2013 fiscal year, and it is forecast that the number of passengers passing through the airport will reach 11 million people by the year end, he said.