Plane and simple: Phuket Airport gears up for holiday rush
Phuket International Airport is bracing for a surge of holiday travellers, with up to 60,000 passengers expected daily during the festive season. Officials promise streamlined services and enhanced security to handle the crowds.
The Royal Thai Police (RTP)’s Immigration Bureau, led by acting commissioner Police Lieutenant General Panumas Bunyalak, joined forces with airport director Monchai Tanode to ensure the airport is ready for the influx. With the Christmas and new year holidays on the horizon, foreign visitor numbers to the resort island are set to soar.
“We are following the government’s policy to boost tourism by easing entry for foreign travellers.”
Visa requirements have been waived for visitors from over 90 countries and territories, simplifying procedures for arrivals. To tackle the holiday rush, unnecessary steps in document scanning have been cut, additional immigration officers deployed, and queue management tightened at counters.
Safety remains a priority, with intelligence officials stationed at the airport to screen for suspicious activity. Monchai revealed the airport is gearing up for 354 flights daily, including 144 international and 210 domestic services.
The projected passenger load is a staggering 110% of pre-pandemic levels, with 40,000 domestic and 20,000 international travellers expected each day, reported The Nation.
November marked the start of Phuket’s High Season, with an average of 23,000 passengers per day. Russians top the list of international visitors, with an average of 4,100 arriving daily, followed by Chinese (1,800), Indians (1,790), Australians (780), and Britons (730).
In related news, Thailand is gaining recognition as a premier travel destination, particularly during December, as indicated by recent statistics from SiteMinder, a renowned global hotel revenue management platform. This December has witnessed an impressive 87% in hotel bookings made by international tourists, marking an increase from last year’s 84% during the same period.
In other news, Phuket Airport is gearing up for a major overhaul as it plans to handle a whopping 18 million passengers by 2025.
