Holiday traffic could triple

Holiday traffic could triple

Passenger traffic through Suvarnabhumi Airport for the Chinese New Year festival starting today is expected to triple from last year's level with a particular influx from China.

Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) estimates that passengers passing through the airport over the 10-day holiday period will hit 1.4 million, more than triple last year's figure, as airlines are adding 382 extra flights to meet increased demand.

On each day of the holiday an average of 140,000 passengers are expected to pass through Suvarnabhumi, comprising 105,000 international travellers and 35,000 domestic passengers.

Of the extra flights, 257 - more than 70% - are international, mostly from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

China Eastern Airlines alone has requested 88 additional flights to Bangkok from Feb 12-21 - a sign that Chinese tourists, who had shunned Thailand due to its political turmoil and its airport blockade, are returning.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects the calming of Thailand's political tensions to bring more than 100,000 Chinese visitors during the holiday, contributing more than 2.5 billion baht to the Thai economy.

But heavy passenger traffic will clearly cram Suvarnabhumi, to the extent that Nirandra Theeranartsin, general manager of the airport, yesterday advised passengers to be at the terminal to check in at least three hours before departure for an international flight and two hours for a domestic flights.

Airlines this week have already seen long immigration queues for outbound passengers delay many flights, especially those at peak times, by as much as one hour.

Airline managers expect airport crowding to get worse as immigration officers are unable to cope with the heavy traffic, due in part to poor queue management, inefficient staff and an inability to staff all counters.

Unless the immigration service promptly solves these problems, passengers could face frustrating waits at immigration lines and security checkpoints, while airlines could see flights miss their schedules, a manager said.

About the author

Writer: Boonsong Kositchotethana

Position: Deputy Editor Business