Airport passenger throughput still rising

PHUKET: While islanders enjoy the relative peace of the low season, figures just released by airport officials show that the number of passengers arriving or departing through Phuket International Airport is still rising. The statistics show that passenger throughput last month rose by 5.15% to 281,205, compared with 267,436 during July last year. The number of international passengers rose by 4.37% to 108,086, while the number of passengers on domestic flights increased by 5.64 % to 173,119. International cargo throughput, however, continued its downward trend, falling to 557 tonnes, down by 23.28% compared with the same time last year. Domestic shipments dropped marginally, by 0.88%, to 566 tonnes.