Phuket International Airport

Phuket International Airport (IATA: HKT, ICAO: VTSP) is an international airport serving the island of Phuket and its province in southern Thailand. It is located 32 km (20 mi) north of downtown Phuket in the Mai Khao subdistrict of Thalang district. The airport plays a major role in Thailand's tourism industry, as Phuket is a popular resort destination. It is the third-busiest airport in Thailand in terms of passengers, after Suvarnabhumi Airport and Don Mueang International Airport in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. The airport set a record of 15.1 million arrivals and departures in 2016, up 17.8 percent from 2015.^[3]

Phuket International Airport ท่าอากาศยานภูเก็ต Tha-akatsayan Phuket
IATA: HKT ICAO: VTSP
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner/Operator	Airports of Thailand
Serves	Phuket
Location	Mai Khao, Thalang, Phuket, Thailand
Focus city for	Thai Airways International
Operating base for	Bangkok Airways Thai Lion Air Thai AirAsia
Elevation AMSL	25 m / 82 ft
Coordinates	08°06′47″N 098°19′00″E
Website	phuket.airportthai.co.th
Maps
HKT/VTSP Location in Phuket province Show map of Phuket HKT/VTSP Location in Thailand Show map of Thailand HKT/VTSP Location in Southeast Asia Show map of Southeast Asia
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 09/27 3,000 9,843 Asphalt concrete
Statistics (2024)
Total passengers 17,215,315 23.15% International passengers 10,573,403 37.02% Domestic passengers 6,641,912 6.06% Aircraft movements 103,675 18.75% Freight (tonnes) 57,655 78.95%
Sources: Airport[1] Airports of Thailand[2]

Facilities

Terminals

Inside the domestic terminal in 2019

Thai Airways Boeing 747-400 departing from Phuket International Airport

A view from Mai Khao beach with a Thai Airways Airbus A330-300 landing at Phuket International Airport's runway 09

Runway 09, with Mai Khao beach in the foreground

Phuket International Airport (original) in 2010

Phuket International Airport features three distinct terminals to manage its air traffic. Terminal 2 is designated for international flights, while Terminal 3 handles domestic flights. Terminal X, specifically intended for charter flights, was opened in February 2014.

To accommodate increasing passenger traffic, Phuket International Airport underwent a significant expansion and renovation project, which was completed in 2016 at a cost of 5.14 billion baht.^[4] This expansion of the new international terminal increased its capacity to handle 12.5 million passengers annually.^[5] Overall, the expansion enhanced the airport's total capacity from 6.5 million to 20 million passengers per year.^[6]

In light of the airport's congestion and limited space for further expansion, a proposal for a rail link from Krabi International Airport, an alternate location, was put forward in 2012. This suggestion aimed to alleviate the growing traffic and logistical challenges faced by Phuket Airport.^[7]

Future

Main article: Phang Nga airport

A proposal for a new international airport has been put forward, aimed at serving three provinces: Phang Nga, Phuket, and Krabi. The construction of this airport is planned to be carried out in two phases. The first phase of the project was anticipated to be completed by 2025, but in 2022, the entire proposal was put on hold. The new airport was intended to function as an alternative to the existing Phuket and Krabi airports, offering additional capacity and potentially alleviating air traffic congestion in the region.^[8][9][10]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Aeroflot	Khabarovsk,[11] Krasnoyarsk,[12] Moscow–Sheremetyevo,[13] Novosibirsk,[14] St. Petersburg,[12] Vladivostok,[12] Yekaterinburg[15]
Air Arabia	Seasonal: Sharjah[citation needed]
Air Astana	Almaty,[16][better source needed] Astana[17]
Air China	Beijing–Capital,[18] Chengdu–Tianfu,[19] Hangzhou[20]
Air France	Paris–Charles de Gaulle (begins 28 November 2025)[21]
Air India	Delhi[22]
Air India Express	Hyderabad[23][better source needed]
AirAsia	Kuala Lumpur–International
Akasa Air	Bengaluru (begins 1 October 2025),[24] Mumbai (begins 20 September 2025)[25]
Asiana Airlines	Seoul–Incheon[26]
Azur Air	Seasonal charter: Barnaul,[27] Chelyabinsk,[citation needed] Chita,[28] Irkutsk,[29] Kazan,[citation needed] Khabarovsk,[citation needed] Krasnoyarsk,[citation needed] Moscow–Vnukovo,[citation needed] Nizhny Novgorod,[citation needed] Novosibirsk,[citation needed] Omsk,[29] Perm,[30] Samara,[citation needed] Sochi,[31] St. Petersburg,[citation needed] Surgut (begins 11 November 2025),[32] Tomsk,[29] Tyumen,[citation needed] Ufa (resumes 7 November 2025),[33] Vladivostok,[citation needed] Yekaterinburg[citation needed]
Bangkok Airways	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai,[34] Koh Samui, Pattaya
Batik Air Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur–International[35]
Cathay Pacific	Hong Kong
Centrum Air	Tashkent (begins 17 September 2025)[36]
China Eastern Airlines	Chengdu–Tianfu,[19] Kunming,[20] Nanjing,[37] Xi'an[20]
China Southern Airlines	Guangzhou[38]
Condor	Frankfurt[39]
Edelweiss Air	Seasonal: Zurich[40]
El Al	Tel Aviv[41]
Emirates	Dubai–International[42]
Etihad Airways	Abu Dhabi[43]
Finnair	Seasonal: Helsinki[citation needed]
Firefly	Penang[44]
GullivAir	Seasonal charter: Bucharest–Otopeni,[45] Sofia[45]
Hainan Airlines[46]	Beijing–Capital
HK Express	Hong Kong[47]
Hong Kong Airlines	Hong Kong (resumes 14 November 2025)[48]
Ikar	Seasonal charter: Blagoveshchensk,[49][better source needed] Chita,[49][better source needed] Krasnoyarsk,[49][better source needed] Novosibirsk,[49][better source needed] Orenburg,[49][better source needed] Perm,[49][better source needed] Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky,[49][better source needed] Samara,[49][better source needed] Surgut,[49][better source needed] Tyumen,[49][better source needed] Ulan-Ude,[50] Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk[51]
IndiGo	Bengaluru,[52] Delhi,[53] Kolkata,[54] Mumbai[55]
Indonesia AirAsia	Denpasar[56]
Jetstar	Melbourne, Perth,[57] Sydney
Jin Air	Seasonal: Seoul–Incheon[citation needed]
Juneyao Air	Nanjing, Shanghai–Pudong[58]
Korean Air	Seoul–Incheon[59]
Kunming Airlines	Kunming[20]
LOT Polish Airlines	Seasonal charter: Warsaw–Chopin[60][61]
Mahan Air	Seasonal: Tehran–Imam Khomeini[62][better source needed]
Malaysia Airlines	Kuala Lumpur–International[63]
MIAT Mongolian Airlines	Seasonal: Ulaanbaatar[64][better source needed]
Myanmar Airways International	Yangon[65]
Neos	Seasonal: Milan–Malpensa[citation needed] Seasonal charter: Bratislava,[66] Brno,[67] Ostrava[68]
Nok Air	Bangkok–Don Mueang, Chengdu–Tianfu
Nordwind Airlines	Chelyabinsk,[49][better source needed] Irkutsk,[49][better source needed] Khabarovsk,[49][better source needed] Krasnoyarsk, Moscow–Sheremetyevo,[49][better source needed] Nizhny Novgorod,[49][better source needed] Novosibirsk, St. Petersburg,[49][better source needed] Ufa (begins 4 January 2026),[33] Yakutsk[49][better source needed]
Norse Atlantic Airways	Seasonal: Oslo (begins 9 December 2025),[69] Stockholm–Arlanda (begins 5 December 2025)[69]
Okay Airways	Changsha,[70] Chengdu–Tianfu[71] Seasonal: Hangzhou[72]
Oman Air	Muscat[73]
Qanot Sharq	Seasonal: Tashkent[74]
Qatar Airways	Doha
Red Wings Airlines	Seasonal charter: Kazan,[75] Moscow–Domodedovo,[75] Novosibirsk,[75] St. Petersburg,[75] Ufa,[75] Yekaterinburg[75]
S7 Airlines	Irkutsk[76]
SalamAir	Muscat[77]
Saudia	Jeddah,[78] Riyadh[78]
SCAT Airlines	Seasonal charter: Almaty[citation needed]
Scoot	Singapore
Shanghai Airlines	Shanghai–Pudong[37]
Shenzhen Airlines	Shenzhen[20]
Sichuan Airlines	Chengdu–Tianfu,[19] Chongqing[79]
Singapore Airlines	Singapore[80]
Spring Airlines	Guangzhou,[81] Shanghai–Pudong[82]
Sunclass Airlines	Seasonal charter: Copenhagen,[citation needed] Gothenburg,[83] Oslo,[citation needed] Stockholm–Arlanda[83]
Sunday Airlines	Seasonal charter: Almaty,[84][better source needed] Bishkek[84][better source needed]
Thai AirAsia	Bangkok–Don Mueang, Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Chennai,[85][better source needed] Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Kochi,[86] Kolkata,[85][better source needed] Medan,[87] Siem Reap,[88] Udon Thani
Thai Airways International	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi[89]
Thai Lion Air	Bangkok–Don Mueang, Zhengzhou Charter: Taichung[90]
Thai VietJet Air	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai,[91] Mumbai[92]
Tigerair Taiwan	Taipei–Taoyuan[93]
TUI Airways	Seasonal: London–Gatwick,[citation needed] Manchester[citation needed] Seasonal charter: Copenhagen,[citation needed] Gothenburg,[citation needed] Helsinki,[citation needed] Stockholm–Arlanda[citation needed]
Turkish Airlines	Istanbul[94]
Uzbekistan Airways	Tashkent[95]
VietJet Air	Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City[96]

Traffic statistics

Phuket is a favorite tourist destination in the region. International passengers mainly come from Asia Pacific and Europe.^[97] In 2012 it ranked second-busiest in total passenger traffic, after Suvarnabhumi Airport in the Bangkok metropolitan area. In mid-2015 the airport, designed to handle 20 flights per hour, was servicing 23 per hour.^[98]

Phuket airport handled 12.9 million passengers in 2015, 12.8 percent more than 2014, with international numbers rising 8.27 percent to 6.95 million and domestic up 18.6 percent to 5.9 million. Aircraft movements grew 11.6 percent to 84,758, with 43,996 international (up 7.63 percent) and 40,762 domestic (up 16.1 percent).^[4]

Passenger movements

Year	Domestic	International	Total	Change%
1995	1,730,895	919,503	2,650,398	9.68
1996	1,896,068	879,688	2,775,756	4.73
1997	1,898,303	942,336	2,840,639	2.34
1998	2,132,108	1,010,606	3,142,714	10.63
1999	2,035,836	1,189,895	3,225,731	2.64
2000	2,171,146	1,358,745	3,541,575	9.43
2001	2,240,264	1,370,429	3,610,693	2.29
2002	2,230,663	1,382,858	3,613,521	0.08
2003	2,104,548	1,496,401	3,600,949	0.35
2004	2,826,022	2,024,879	4,850,901	34.71
2005	2,246,723	922,311	3,169,034	34.67
2006	3,032,976	1,677,723	4,710,699	48.65
2007	3,513,966	2,190,399	5,704,365	21.09
2008	3,321,443	2,409,305	5,703,748	0.46
2009	3,489,012	2,290,906	5,779,918	0.86
2010	3,701,427	3,342,356	7,043,783	21.87
2011	4,097,276	4,370,719	8,467,995	20.22
2012	4,475,624	5,065,928	9,541,552	12.68
2013	4,958,880	6,383,611	11,342,491	18.87
2014	4,976,451	6,425,047	11,401,498	0.52
2015	5,909,356	6,950,000	12,859,356	12.8
2016	6,997,879	8,109,306	15,107,185	17.48
2017	7,655,579	9,200,058	16,855,637	11.6
2018	7,817,894	10,403,631	18,221,525	8.1
2019	7,452,262	10,666,178	18,118,440	0.57
2020	2,332,349	3,155,264	5,429,708	70.0
2021	1,502,356	287,481	1,789,837	67.04
2022	4,659,672	3,155,264	7,814,936	336.63%
2023	6,262,326	7,716,858	13,979,184	78.88%
2024	6,641,912	10,573,403	17,215,315	18.75%

Aircraft movements

Year	Domestic	International	Total	Change%
1995	11,135	9,380	20,515	6.79
1996	11,586	9,626	21,212	3.40
1997	11,402	10,257	21,659	2.11
1998	9,673	10,272	19,945	7.91
1999	9,391	11,887	21,278	6.68
2000	11,850	11,472	23,322	9.61
2001	12,705	12,467	25,172	7.93
2002	10,920	12,248	23,168	7.96
2003	12,669	12,015	24,684	6.54
2004	16,765	15,917	32,682	32.40
2005	14,115	9,970	24,085	26.30
2006	17,207	13,680	30,887	28.24
2007	23,915	16,884	40,799	32.09
2008	20,814	17,177	37,991	6.88
2009	20,883	16,987	37,870	0.32
2010	25,311	23,257	48,568	28.25
2011	27,932	28,741	56,673	16.69
2012	28,578	32,426	61,004	7.64
2013	32,370	40,219	72,589	18.99
2014	35,096	40,878	75,974	4.66
2015	40,762	43,996	84,758	16.1
2016	48,883	48,930	97,813	15.4
2017	52,609	53,484	106,093	8.5
2018	54,514	63,766	118,280	11.49
2019	50,409	65,167	115,576	2.29
2020	25,505	13,343	38,848	66.4
2021	14,347	4,177	18,524	52.32
2022	36,033	21,436	57,469	57,469
2023	44,080	43,224	87,304	51.91
2024	46,369	57,306	103,675	23.15

Freight tonnage

Year	Domestic	International	Total	Change%
1995	5,659	5,021	10,680	198.16
1996	7,994	5,620	13,614	27.47
1997	8,285	7,522	15,807	16.11
1998	8,213	7,683	15,896	0.56
1999	10,963	11,455	22,418	41.03
2000	9,841	11,091	20,932	6.63
2001	9,345	9,651	18,996	9.25
2002	10,352	12,855	23,207	22.17
2003	10,866	12,338	23,204	0.01
2004	13,382	14,659	28,041	20.85
2005	12,306	6,425	18,731	33.20
2006	13,384	4,729	18,113	3.30
2007	13,268	6,452	19,720	8.87
2008	12,671	6,535	19,206	2.61
2009	13,195	7,780	20,975	9.21
2010	17,434	12,810	30,244	44.19
2011	17,627	10,687	28,314	6.38
2012	18,798	15,541	34,339	21.28
2013	17,234	17,386	34,620	0.82
2014	17,653	22,631	40,284	16.36
2015	14,552	22,822	37,374	7.22
2016	14,676	28,538	43,214	5.73
2017	15,670	37,529	53,990	23.1
2018	15,864	46,274	62,138	15.09
2019	11,592	41,120	52,712	15.17
2020	4,429	10,797	11,904	78.1
2021	2,111	2,098	4,209	64.64
2022	3,152	3,391	6,543	68.37
2023	4,699	27,518	32,217	330.71
2024	4,549	53,106	57,655	78.96

Busiest international routes

Busiest international routes to and from Phuket International Airport (2019)^[99]

Rank	Airport	Passengers handled	Change%
1	Singapore	1,052,635	0.58%
2	Kuala Lumpur–International	871,584	1.00%
3	Shanghai–Pudong	760,864	1.64%
4	Hong Kong	642,904	4.57%
5	Chengdu–Shuangliu	546,908	32.49%
6	Seoul–Incheon	461,967	6.57%
7	Doha	422,087	23.08%
8	Beijing–Capital	412,213	4.58%
9	Dubai–International	367,967	13.90%
10	Moscow–Sheremetyevo	362,977	11.53%

Busiest domestic routes

Busiest domestic routes to and from Phuket Airport (2019)^[99]

Rank	Airport	Passengers handled	Change%
1	Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi	3,371,171	0.29%
2	Bangkok–Don Mueang	3,005,310	9.86%
3	Chiang Mai	415,771	12.23%
4	Pattaya	165,992	4.58%
5	Koh Samui	154,242	10.97%

Phuket Airport passenger totals (millions)

Annual passenger traffic at HKT airport. See Wikidata query.

Incidents and accidents

• 15 April 1985: A Thai Airways Company Boeing 737-200 (registered HS-TBB) crashed, killing all 11 people on board. The crew had issued a radio call informing air traffic control that both engines had flamed out. No cause could be determined for the engine shutdown.^[100]
• 31 August 1987: Thai Airways Flight 365, a Boeing 737-200 (registered HS-TBC) from Hat Yai International Airport crashed into the ocean upon final approach, killing all 83 people on board. The investigation determined pilot error as the primary cause.^[101]
• 16 September 2007: One-Two-Go Airlines Flight 269 arriving on a scheduled flight from Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport crashed after hitting the runway while attempting to land in driving rain and severe wind shear. The McDonnell Douglas MD-82 (registered HS-OMG) slid off the runway, split into two, and exploded into flames after an apparent attempt to execute a go-around moments before touchdown. There were 123 passengers and seven crew on board; 89 died and 40 were injured.^{[citation needed]}