THAILAND. The decline in international passenger numbers at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport hit double digits in February, as political protests continue to plague the Thai capital.
According to Airports of Thailand (AoT), international passenger traffic at Suvarnabhumi – Thailand’s flagship gateway – fell by -12.7% to 3.09 million in February 2014. Including domestic passengers, total passenger figures reached 3.88 million, down -10.1%.
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International traffic at Suvarnabhumi and Bangkok’s other airport Don Muang combined hit 3.47 million, down by -11.9%. Including domestic passengers, total traffic for the two airports dipped -4.6% to 5.32 million for the month.
From a much smaller base, international traffic fell by -4.1% to 383,700 at Don Muang. Total passenger traffic, however, rose by +14.2% in the month, driven by the +22.7% uplift in domestic passenger traffic, surpassing one million.
Following the relocation of several airlines from Suvarnabhumi to Don Muang in October 2012, AoT has started providing combined passenger traffic figures for the two airports to give a better indication of overall traffic to/from Bangkok.
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Across its airport network, AoT handled 4.28 million international passengers in February, an overall decline of -8.3%. Total passengers for the month reached 7.30 million, a decline of -1.4%.
These figures cover AoT’s entire national airport network, including Suvarnabhumi (Thailand’s flagship gateway) and Don Muang in Bangkok as well as Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Chiang Rai.
The Thai government lifted the 60-day state of emergency on 19 March, a sign that “things are fast returning to normal in Bangkok”, according to Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Thawatchai Arunyik. The authority hopes that the move will help to boost tourism in the lead-up to the Thai New Year (Songkran) celebration in April. However, the nullification of the 2 February general election by Thailand’s constitutional court on 21 March could mean a continuation of the current political crisis.
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