Chiang Mai Airport 24-hour service takes off with first flight to Osaka
Chiang Mai International Airport (CMIA) introduced its new 24-hour service with the inaugural flight from Chiang Mai to Osaka. This followed the government’s Quick-Win policy to boost the short-term economy. Nirat Phongsitthaworn, Governor of Chiang Mai Province, presided over the kick-off event at the International Passenger Terminal.
Joining him were Jakrapol Tungsutthatham, Deputy Secretary-General to the prime minister, Kirti Kitmanawattana, Director-General of Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT), and Air Commodore Rongkorn Chalermchaichan Yayakorn, Director of CMIA.
High-level executives from AOT, Deputy Governors of Chiang Mai, Mayor of Chiang Mai City, Director of Tourism Authority of Thailand Chiang Mai Office, Chiang Mai Tourism and Sports, representatives of government agencies, state enterprises, private sector, aviation and tourism business operators, and all related parties were also present.
The first flight to take off after midnight, marking the commencement of CMIA’s 24-hour service, was Thai Vietjet’s flight number VZ 822 on the Chiang Mai-Osaka route. The flight was scheduled to depart from CMIA at 12.30am today and arrive at Kansai Airport (Osaka) at 07.50am local time.
The Governor of Chiang Mai Province, AOT executives, and event participants handed out souvenirs to passengers on the inaugural flight. In addition, there were performances of traditional music and dance, and the International Passenger Terminal was decorated with Lanna-style decorations.
Flowers were also arranged by the Chiang Mai Provincial Administration Organization to leave a good impression on tourists and passengers using CMIA.
Open all hours
The Director-General of AOT said that the extension of CMIA’s operating hours to 24 hours was under the control and supervision of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and the 2548 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, which evaluated impacts over a 24-hour period.
Therefore, the service extension is not considered a new state project and does not cause any environmental impact. However, CMIA will conduct a new EIA study, expected to be completed in 2025. In the meantime, flight schedules will be considered to minimise the impact on communities and residents living around the airport, reported KhaoSod.
Currently, CMIA operates 150 domestic and international flights per day, with an average of 21,537 passengers. There are 18 international routes and 12 domestic routes, including direct flights to Taipei, Incheon, Kunming, Beijing, and Hong Kong.
It is expected that direct routes to Mumbai and Delhi will be added in April. The airport handles an average of 4,328 tonnes of goods per day. It has 16 aircraft parking bays, an outdoor car park for 700 cars, and a 10-storey car park for 1,000 cars.
It is capable of handling 8 million passengers per year and is in the process of studying and designing the CMIA Development Project Phase 1 to increase its capacity to 16.5 million passengers per year to support the tourism industry, which is the main engine of Chiang Mai’s and the country’s economy.
