The Director of Krabi Airport, Mr. Kitichai Satchaluks, has summoned the management of two shuttle service companies after an altercation between their employees. The incident occurred on the morning of July 28, when Ms. Su (surname withheld), 37, was reportedly assaulted by Ms. Oi (alias), resulting in injuries requiring hospital treatment. The brawl, which took place within Krabi Airport, reportedly started over a dispute for passengers. At the time of the incident, there were no security guards present, and the area lacked CCTV coverage. The incident was reported to the Nuea Khlong Police Station in Krabi.
In a meeting held on July 30, Mr. Kitichai discussed the issue with the companies’ executives, stressing the damage the incident has caused to the airport’s and Krabi’s reputation. The meeting concluded with a decision that any further altercations would result in a 15-day suspension for the involved employees, and termination if the behavior recurs. This measure aims to prevent future incidents.
A representative from one of the shuttle service companies expressed frustration after the meeting, indicating that the airport management seemed to shift responsibility solely onto the companies for resolving the issue, despite the incident occurring within airport premises.
Krabi Airport Brawl: dispute over customers leads to physical altercation
On July 29, Ms. Su, a 37-year-old employee of a transportation company, reported to the Nuea Khlong Police Station that she and a colleague were assaulted by an employee from another company within Krabi International Airport. The incident occurred on the morning of July 28, around 8:30 AM, near ticket booth 17 at the airport.
Ms. Su recounted that while she was standing beside her company’s ticket booth, Ms. Oi, an employee of another transportation company, approached her and suddenly slapped her in the face. Ms. Oi then pushed Ms. Su, causing her to fall, and continued to assault her by punching and kicking. Ms. Su attempted to defend herself by kicking back to prevent Ms. Oi from further assaulting her, but she sustained additional injuries, including a bite on her knee. The altercation only ended when Ms. Su’s colleague intervened, but not before also being injured.
Ms. Su expressed concern that there were no security personnel present during the incident, nor were there any CCTV cameras in the area. Following the altercation, she reported the incident to the police and sought medical treatment at Nuea Khlong Hospital and Krabi Hospital. The doctors advised her to stay in the hospital for observation due to dizziness caused by a kick to the head.
Subsequently, reporters visited Krabi International Airport and spoke with Ms. Oi, 42, who provided her account of the incident. She stated that at around 8 AM on July 28, she was waiting to pick up a tourist customer who wanted to use a taxi service. According to Ms. Oi, Ms. Su, who works for a minivan service, approached with a sign offering rides to Ao Nang for 100 baht, which led to a dispute over the customer. Ms. Oi said she tried to walk away with the customer, but Ms. Su continued to berate her and threatened her.
Ms. Oi claimed that Ms. Su frequently engaged in aggressive behavior to poach customers, a practice frowned upon by other employees and even security personnel at the airport. She asserted that during the altercation, she did not initiate the fight but defended herself when Ms. Su’s colleague joined the fray and pinned her down. After managing to free herself, Ms. Oi admitted to retaliating.
The incident highlights an ongoing issue at Krabi International Airport, where disputes over customers frequently lead to altercations. Despite efforts by airport management to establish rules and guidelines to prevent such incidents, these disputes continue, potentially damaging the region’s tourism image.
