Thailand tourism surges with visa-free policy, Phuket leads
Following the easing of Covid-19, global tourism has experienced a resurgence, bolstered by the Thai government’s visa-free policy. This has led to a continuous increase in tourists visiting Thailand.
Recent data from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports revealed that between January and March, the number of tourists reached 7,021,344, marking a 5.91% increase compared to the same period last year. Besides Bangkok, Phuket emerged as a top destination, welcoming 1,121,808 tourists in January alone, a rise of 21.07% from January 2024.
Phuket Airport has become the leading regional airport in Thailand in terms of flight volume, handling 379 flights per day, ranking third nationally after Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports. However, as Phuket Airport operates with a single runway, it can accommodate only 25 flights per hour. Any issues on this runway could immediately disrupt air traffic, halting flights.
To address the growing number of tourists and air traffic, the Ministry of Transport has tasked Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Ltd. with enhancing flight capacity. They are taking Fukuoka Airport in Kyushu, Japan, as a benchmark due to its similar physical characteristics to Phuket Airport and other major regional airports in Thailand. Fukuoka Airport, previously the top single-runway airport in Japan, supports up to 38 flights per hour.
Japan airport visit
During a visit to Fukuoka Airport, Monporn Charoensri, deputy transport minister, along with Aeronautical Radio of Thailand officials, explored leveraging Fukuoka’s air transport technology for improving Phuket and other regional airports’ capabilities. Monporn highlighted Fukuoka’s economic, trade, and tourism appeal, expressing intentions to adopt its technology to enhance service quality, flight capacity, and tourist confidence in cleanliness, service, and airport management, following the government’s visa-free policy.
Pichate Kunathammarak, chairman of Aeronautical Radio of Thailand, noted that international flights in Thailand from October 2024 to January 2025 totalled 165,474, a 23% increase from the previous year. The visit to Fukuoka, ranked as Japan’s fourth-busiest airport, aims to integrate Fukuoka’s air traffic management strategies into Phuket’s operations. This includes airspace management, physical airport management like runways and taxiways, and the usage of Fukuoka’s systems to improve Phuket and other regional airports’ air traffic management efficiency.
Naphasit Chakrapitak, director-general of Aeronautical Radio of Thailand, identified three areas for enhancing Phuket Airport’s flight capacity: air traffic management, physical infrastructure, and collaborative decision-making processes. A High Intensity Runway Operation (HIRO) project is underway at Phuket Airport to reduce Runway Occupancy Time (ROT), increasing flight handling capacity. Improved Rapid Exit Taxiways (RET) will reduce runway occupancy time, allowing more flights. Integration of Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) with Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) is expected to enhance overall airport efficiency.
Additionally, Aeronautical Radio of Thailand plans to introduce Multilateration (MLAT) systems and Digital Towers to manage air traffic, aiming for Phuket Airport to handle 35 flights per hour by 2025. Digital Towers, offering realistic airport visuals and reducing accident risks, will initially be implemented in high-traffic airports like Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai, and Samui by 2026, followed by remote towers in airports with lower traffic like Narathiwat and Betong by 2027.
Monporn stated that the Ministry of Transport aims to enhance Thailand’s aviation capacity to support 1.2 million flights by 2025 and 2 million by 2037. This involves adopting new technologies to improve air traffic management efficiency, aligning with the aviation industry’s growth, and striving to establish Thailand as a regional aviation hub, in line with government and transport ministry policies, reported KhaoSod.
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