Thailand's aviation services growing well

BANGKOK, October 30 (TNA) - Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT) reports that the country's six international airports served more than 139 million international passengers and a total of 875,000 flights in the 2018 fiscal year, or from October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018. AOT President Nitinai Sirismatthakarn released the report on Thailand's air traffic in the 2018 fiscal year on Tuesday, acknowledging that the total of 139.52 international passengers, catered by the six Thai airports, increased by an 8 per cent year-on-year, including about 80.49 million of international flights' passengers, a 11 per cent year-on-year increase, and 59.03 domestic flights' passengers, a 4.2 per cent year-on-year increase. Nitinai told journalists that the total of 875,000 flights, served by the six Thai international airports in the 2018 fiscal year, rose by 6.2 per cent year-on-year, including 462,230 international flights, a 11.3 per cent year-on-year increase, and 412,770 domestic flights, a 1.1 per cent year-on-year increase. The AOT president stated that the six Thai international airports include the Suvarnabhumi Airport, the Don Mueang Airport, the Phuket Airport, the Chiang Mai Airport, the Chiang Rai Airport and the Hat Yai Airport, all, except the Hat Yai Airport, served the increased number of international passengers in the 2018 fiscal year, when the total number of international passengers and flights catered by the Hat Yai International Airport alone was slated at 4.27 million and 29,200 flights respectively, a drop of 1.9 per cent year-on-year and 4.2 per cent year-on-year. The AOT president noted that Thailand's main Suvarnabhumi International Airport and Don Mueang International Airport served most international passengers in the 2018 fiscal year at 62.81 million and 40.56 million respectively, a 6.3 per cent and 9.1 per cent year-on-year increase respectively. Besides, both of the two main Thai international airports catered for 364,000 flights and 270,000 flights respectively in the 2018 fiscal year, a 5.3 per cent and 9.1 per cent year-on-year increase. The AOT president said most foreign passengers served by the six Thai international airports in the 2018 fiscal year were nationals of Asian-Pacific economies, followed by those of Russia and the Americas, including those from China, South Korea, Japan, India, Malaysia, Russia, North and South America, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Kingdom, with those from China being top of the list at a total of about 19.79 million. (TNA)