Phuket International Airport expects to welcome more than 16 million passengers this year, driven by rising international arrivals and new direct flight routes from Europe and Asia, said airport director Monchai Tanode.
He said during China’s Golden Week from Oct 1-8, passenger traffic rose by 60% compared with last year. The airport handled 228 flights, averaging 29 a day, with 34,375 passengers or 4,297 per day — about 65% of pre-Covid figures.
The top ten visitor nationalities were Russian, Chinese, Indian, South Korean, Australian, German, British, Israeli, Saudi Arabian and Malaysian.
Mr Monchai said Phuket is still in a low season and the airport, on average, handles between 280-300 flights a day.
Russian and Chinese travellers remain the largest groups, averaging 10,000-12,000 passengers per day. The number of daily flights is expected to rise to 380-400 in the high season, with maximum capacity set at 600.
He said two new airlines will launch routes during the high season. One is Centrum Air, which will fly directly from Uzbekistan to Phuket starting from Oct 31 with four weekly flights.
Air France will connect Paris to Phuket, starting from Nov 28, with six weekly flights using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Saudi Arabian, Israeli and Iranian airlines continue regular operations to Phuket, Mr Monchai said.
To prepare for the high season in late October, Phuket Airport has upgraded its runways, taxiways, and parking bays to handle 25 aircraft per hour. Coordination with the Immigration Bureau has also been strengthened to speed up international passenger processing, he said.
Mr Monchai said the airport also provides a new bus terminal to connect passengers to major destinations on three routes, and additional routes are being developed. Several ride-hailing services and metered taxis are available to meet peak demand.
Looking ahead, Mr Monchai said plans are underway for a new international terminal covering 100,000m², compared with the current 70,000m².
Design work will finish early next year, with construction expected to be completed by 2029. The airport plans to upgrade restrooms in 2026 to improve passenger comfort.