Thailand's airports, the country's front doors

1 of 11 · The national map

Thailand's skies converge on Bangkok

In 2024, Thai airports handled 140.6 million passengers, according to the civil aviation authority. Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang alone took 66%. Phuket follows, with 17.2 million, then Chiang Mai, with 9.1 million. On the map, each circle is sized by its traffic: a country held together by its capital and its beaches. For anyone buying or settling here, the consequence is concrete: 92% of the 6,830 developments we track lie less than an hour's drive from an international airport.

A passenger is counted at every airport they pass through, and drive times are computed without traffic.

2 of 11 · Before, during, after

Phuket has won back its pre-pandemic foreign travellers; Bangkok has not yet

In the financial year ending September 2019, AOT's six airports handled 141.9 million passengers. In the year ending September 2021, they took just 20.0 million, 14% of the earlier level. In financial year 2025, the count climbs back to 126.0 million, still 11% below 2019. Only one of these airports has overtaken its pre-pandemic international traffic: Phuket, with 10.7 million international passengers, 3.9% more than in 2019. Suvarnabhumi remains 4.0% below, Don Mueang 27.7%.

AOT financial years, October to September, across its six airports.

3 of 11 · Bangkok, two airports

Suvarnabhumi faces the world, Don Mueang faces the country

In financial year 2025, Suvarnabhumi handled 62.7 million passengers, 81% of them on international flights, and 368,735 aircraft movements. North of the city, Don Mueang took 31.3 million, 60% of them on domestic flights, for 213,694 movements. The nearer of the two is not the larger: for 2,321 of the 3,235 developments we track in Bangkok, Don Mueang is quicker to reach than Suvarnabhumi; the reverse holds for only 914. The median drive is 25 min to Don Mueang and 28 min to Suvarnabhumi.

• Closer to Don Mueang
• Closer to Suvarnabhumi

Drive times computed without traffic, to the passenger terminal.

4 of 11 · Suvarnabhumi grows

Suvarnabhumi already handles more travellers than its latest expansion was built for

The SAT-1 satellite, opened on 28 September 2023, added 28 aircraft parking bays; a third runway, 4,000 metres long, received its first flight on 15 September 2024. Together, according to AOT, they raised capacity from 68 to 94 flights an hour, and from 45 to 60 million passengers a year. In financial year 2025, the airport handled 62.7 million. What comes next has been announced: an eastern extension of the terminal, from 2026 to 2030, for 70 million passengers, then a south terminal, from 2027 to 2035, for 120 million.

Timetables announced by AOT, as reported by The Nation on 16 May 2026.

6 of 11 · Krabi, the other gateway

From Krabi, the Andaman is linked to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, the Gulf and India

In 2025, Krabi airport recorded 2.9 million passengers, 730,922 of them on international flights, according to the Department of Airports. Its arrivals draw a map: 504,970 passengers came from Don Mueang and 412,067 from Suvarnabhumi; abroad, Kuala Lumpur sent 144,710, Singapore 64,970, Dubai 53,986, Mumbai 34,443 and Bangalore 19,960. The coast facing Phuket thus receives travellers from the Gulf and South Asia on direct flights.

Passengers on commercial flights arriving in Krabi, by departure airport.

8 of 11 · U-Tapao and the EEC

At U-Tapao, construction has begun; the traffic has yet to be rebuilt

South of Pattaya, U-Tapao airport handled 1,639,480 passengers in 2019 and 384,881 in 2024, according to the civil aviation authority. The Eastern Economic Corridor project thinks far bigger: a 50-year concession and a target capacity of 60 million passengers a year, according to the EEC Office. Work officially began on 3 April 2026, with a first terminal planned for 3 to 4 million passengers. For the 652 developments we track in Pattaya, U-Tapao is a median 43 min' drive away, Suvarnabhumi 1 h 28 min.

Target capacity, not realised traffic; drive times without traffic.

10 of 11 · Hua Hin, the student pilots' airport

Hua Hin has an airport, but its international flights leave from Bangkok

In 2025, Hua Hin airport received 61,329 passengers, all on domestic flights, for 574 commercial movements; the same year, it saw 6,012 training-aircraft movements. Its only scheduled route links it to Chiang Mai, from which 31,438 passengers arrived. In 2019, it had welcomed 87,530 international passengers. From the 384 developments we track in Hua Hin, the local terminal is 14 min' drive away; Don Mueang 2 h 45 min, Suvarnabhumi 2 h 51 min.

Drive times computed without traffic.

11 of 11 · Who arrives, and for how long

Malaysia leads China among Thailand's visitors

Thailand welcomed 33.0 million foreign visitors in 2025, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, against 39.9 million in 2019. Malaysia leads, with 4.52 million, just ahead of China, 4.47 million, then India, 2.5 million. Russia follows, with 1,898,837 visitors, and South Korea, with 1,555,227. Not all stay as long: 4.8 days on average for a Malaysian visitor, 15.0 for a Russian visitor, 16.0 for the 816,935 French visitors.

Arrivals across all borders, land crossings included, not only by air.