Hua Hin Airport in political limbo until after the Thai election

[george]

 

HUA HIN: -- The long struggle for Hua Hin Airport to get permission for international and domestic airlines to start flying to the beach resort of Hua Hin is not going to happen until later this year, says the airport operator.

 

This news came today during a speech by John LaRoche, CEO of Phoenix Aviation, the operator of Hua Hin Airport

 

Here is a full transcript of the  speech at the Royal Coast Riviera Club this afternoon:

 

John LaRoche: "Allow me to take you back around 18 months, although I could go back 30 years. The airport has accommodated both international and domestic flights during the last 30 years; and more specifically during the last 10 to 15 years.

 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our airport underwent a review by the Civil Aviation Authority. They identified a number of shortcomings, which I agree with. On April 7th, 2021, we secured a 5-year agreement to manage the airport, with the intention of converting it into a 30-year public-private partnership (PPP).

 

During the administrative handover, several issues were highlighted. For instance, one could walk along the beach near the airport when the tide was low and easily access the runway. While this has been acceptable for 29 years, we used the COVID period to review and rectify this situation. Over the past 18 months, we have implemented several changes, such as installing a fence to prevent beach access to the runway and widening the runway from 35 meters to 45 meters.

 

The runway expansion now meets international safety requirements, eliminating the need for additional pilot training and removing a barrier for new airlines. In total, these projects have cost around 250 million baht.

 

We have addressed most of the safety and security issues that could have prevented international flights from landing.

 

However, I cannot provide a definitive answer as to why an A320 or 737 can land at Hua hin Airport from Chiang Mai,  but not from Singapore or Hong Kong.

 

We have taken care of the majority of the issues preventing international flights from landing at Hua Hin. My personal opinion is that we will see the first international flight land just after the election, although I won't speculate on the significance of that date.

 

On a positive note, the government has allocated 750 million baht for airport improvements beginning in 2024. The approved design includes an extension of the terminal to accommodate both domestic and international flights, and two gates instead of one.

 

Currently, the single-gate system prevents simultaneous domestic and international flights. We aim to develop Hua Hin Airport as an international destination and are not actively pursuing domestic routes unless they are connected to an international route.

 

We have secured Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) for international flights, which we plan to convert into contracts once approved. These include flights from Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and India.

 

Our goal is to achieve one flight per day in the first year and gradually increase to 20 flights per day. The current MOUs represent about five flights per day by the end of the first year.

 

In conclusion, we are investing in the airport, and the government is contributing as well.

 

Whilst I cannot provide an exact timeline, I expect significant progress in the coming weeks or months at the latest, says John LaRoche."

 

 

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[bignok]

Now they just need a decent beach and some attractions so that people have a reason to go there.

[Pink Mist]

2 minutes ago, bignok said:

Now they just need a decent beach and some attractions so that people have a reason to go there.

Plenty of decent beaches all the way to Ao Prachuap. Many have seen very few tourists since the return of tourism.  We spent a few days traveling to many of them this past week.  Yes I do live in PKK and travel from one end to the other routinely.

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

20 minutes ago, george said:

"My personal opinion is that we will see the first international flight land just after the election, although I won't speculate on the significance of that date."

Hehe. Sounds like he knows the new guy/gal being elected will make something happen, that the present one cannot. Good.

 

Wow, also, "MOU" has become quite the hip business buzzword. The Thais are really keen to such things. The teachers have been throwing it around my school since like 6 months ago.

[Hummin]

A never ending story, the runaway is to short 2100m and should be at least be 300m longer

[SpaceKadet]

Hua Hin airport was originally meant for use by Royal Family.

What's gonna happen when one Royal decides to visit the Hua Hin Palace?

Will the airport close for other operations while the police, security and all the entourage arrive?

Years ago, I was almost stuck there while precisely this happened.

Fortunately, all passengers for my flight were checked in already, so we took off 30 minutes earlier.

[george]

4 minutes ago, SpaceKadet said:

Hua Hin airport was originally meant for use by Royal Family.

What's gonna happen when one Royal decides to visit the Hua Hin Palace?

Will the airport close for other operations while the police, security and all the entourage arrive?

Years ago, I was almost stuck there while precisely this happened.

Fortunately, all passengers for my flight were checked in already, so we took off 30 minutes earlier.

NOTICE:
 

Please be extremely careful if mention the Royal Family, or rather avoid it altogether‼️

Risky posts will be removed and member Will be immediately BANNED. Be aware of the legal risks.

Thanks! ????

[spidermike007]

Hua Hin is now one of the most under utilized airports in the world. One excuse after another. Really pathetic. Thailand desperately needs regional airports. Hua Hin is ideal. 

 

Man up guys. Do the right thing. Take the pressure off of Bangkok. Get it done. Stop the excuses. 

[Dazkkk]

We used to use the airport regularly back in 2001-03 to fly to Don Muang and return. Cut out the long round trip by road. 

[Pink Mist]

52 minutes ago, Dazkkk said:

We used to use the airport regularly back in 2001-03 to fly to Don Muang and return. Cut out the long round trip by road. 

It is an ideal airport for travel back to Bangkoks airports as well as flights to Chiang Mai and would be great for flights to Phuket and so on, if they would restart those routes. Only flights now are to Chiang Mai..

[nigelforbes]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Hua Hin is now one of the most under utilized airports in the world. One excuse after another. Really pathetic. Thailand desperately needs regional airports. Hua Hin is ideal. 

 

Man up guys. Do the right thing. Take the pressure off of Bangkok. Get it done. Stop the excuses. 

I totally disagree, I think Thailand needs fewer airports, not more. Bangkok to Hua Hin is no more than 3 hours by road, the last thing Hua Hin needs is to morph into a another Pattaya.....make it a little more difficult to get there not easier, that way it will retain its value and appeal. The Chumphon airport is 3 hours South by road, 280 kms away, and has flights from Bangkok. Bangkok is 200 kms NE or three hours, Pattaya is yet again 3 hours further by road and U-Thapao airport has flights. Are we going to have airports in Thailand every 250 kms or as soon as the journey time by road exceeds 3 hours, it's a nonsense.

[hotchilli]

13 hours ago, george said:

The runway expansion now meets international safety requirements, eliminating the need for additional pilot training and removing a barrier for new airlines. In total, these projects have cost around 250 million baht.

 

13 hours ago, george said:

Over the past 18 months, we have implemented several changes, such as installing a fence to prevent beach access to the runway and widening the runway from 35 meters to 45 meters.

You were done.

[sammieuk1]

Suggest a biannual return BA flight to LHR at 2018 prices please ????

[spidermike007]

10 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

I totally disagree, I think Thailand needs fewer airports, not more. Bangkok to Hua Hin is no more than 3 hours by road, the last thing Hua Hin needs is to morph into a another Pattaya.....make it a little more difficult to get there not easier, that way it will retain its value and appeal. The Chumphon airport is 3 hours South by road, 280 kms away, and has flights from Bangkok. Bangkok is 200 kms NE or three hours, Pattaya is yet again 3 hours further by road and U-Thapao airport has flights. Are we going to have airports in Thailand every 250 kms or as soon as the journey time by road exceeds 3 hours, it's a nonsense.

I could not possibly disagree more. Anything to ease the gridlock and allow us to avoid the Bangkok airports, is a huge step forward for the region. On a recent trip to Bangkok, the taxi driver was telling me it took 7 hours due to holiday traffic, from HH. It took me 4 hours. The highways here are utterly choked, and multiple, alternative forms of transport are needed. 

[nigelforbes]

3 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I could not possibly disagree more. Anything to ease the gridlock and allow us to avoid the Bangkok airports, is a huge step forward for the region. On a recent trip to Bangkok, the taxi driver was telling me it took 7 hours due to holiday traffic, from HH. It took me 4 hours. The highways here are utterly choked, and multiple, alternative forms of transport are needed. 

That taxi driver estimate of 7 hours was full of poo! Regardless, are we now meant only to fly everywhere in Thailand rather than take buses or trains, I thought we were supposed to be cutting back on emissions, not increasing them....is Boeing anywhere near producing an EV version of the 777! The road from Bangkok to Hua Hin is being widened and improved, the overground railway is also being built out. Let's not have those things AND a functional airport or before you know it HH will become and extension of Bangkok. 

[Pink Mist]

16 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

I totally disagree, I think Thailand needs fewer airports, not more. Bangkok to Hua Hin is no more than 3 hours by road, the last thing Hua Hin needs is to morph into a another Pattaya.....make it a little more difficult to get there not easier, that way it will retain its value and appeal. The Chumphon airport is 3 hours South by road, 280 kms away, and has flights from Bangkok. Bangkok is 200 kms NE or three hours, Pattaya is yet again 3 hours further by road and U-Thapao airport has flights. Are we going to have airports in Thailand every 250 kms or as soon as the journey time by road exceeds 3 hours, it's a nonsense.

"Bangkok to Hua Hin is no more than 3 hours by road?" When? Maybe driving at 4 am, but when the construction starts back up and runs for almost 50km's from Samut Prakan up Rama 2 and into BKK, it makes the travel onerous and long.  Took us over 5 hours to return to HH after picking up my daughters from the airport and we drove down here when construction was stopped for Songkran on the 12th.  Heading back today and I will chime in as to what the drive took.  If we had the flight as we used to have to DMK, it was still around 3 hours in total, with check-in, taxiing, take off, flight landing, and then taxiing, and off-loading, but then we landed at the airport.  Fastest I ever made it driving was just under 3 hours and that was from HH to the Sukhumvit area and as I said we left at 4 am.  The construction for the highway is and will continue to make it a problem.  Will be faster by train when they get the new system up and running.

[Pink Mist]

1 hour ago, nigelforbes said:

That taxi driver estimate of 7 hours was full of poo! Regardless, are we now meant only to fly everywhere in Thailand rather than take buses or trains, I thought we were supposed to be cutting back on emissions, not increasing them....is Boeing anywhere near producing an EV version of the 777! The road from Bangkok to Hua Hin is being widened and improved, the overground railway is also being built out. Let's not have those things AND a functional airport or before you know it HH will become and extension of Bangkok. 

With the way Hua Hins regulations are set, as of right now, construction is limited in many places as well as certain types of venues.  Living here I do not ever see it becoming another Pattaya.  It is already an extension of BKK with many wealthy Thais owning places around us who come on the weekends for a relaxing and enjoyable uncrowded time. 

[nigelforbes]

2 minutes ago, Pink Mist said:

"Bangkok to Hua Hin is no more than 3 hours by road?" When? Maybe driving at 4 am, but when the construction starts back up and runs for almost 50km's from Samut Prakan up Rama 2 and into BKK, it makes the travel onerous and long.  Took us over 5 hours to return to HH after picking up my daughters from the airport and we drove down here when construction was stopped for Songkran on the 12th.  Heading back today and I will chime in as to what the drive took.  If we had the flight as we used to have to DMK, it was still around 3 hours in total, with check-in, taxiing, take off, flight landing, and then taxiing, and off-loading, but then we landed at the airport.  Fastest I ever made it driving was just under 3 hours and that was from HH to the Sukhumvit area and as I said we left at 4 am.  The construction for the highway is and will continue to make it a problem.  Will be faster by train when they get the new system up and running.

Each to their own. When we drive from the North we take the expressways through and around the city and we always seem to manage it in circa 3 hours but there again we only do it a few times each year rather than often. 

[thailand49]

Lots of money being allocated with really little vision for the larger picture?   One flight? 

With airport Improvements  what future plans for improvement to Hua Hin  infracture?  a master plan or like elsewhere just take baby steps to build worry about the <deleted>hole that it becomes later. 

[Drop the dead donkey]

There is absolutely NO way that a2 gate airport will be sanctioned into an international airport.

This is not Thailand’s choice or option to decide. This is a choice of the whole aviation industry.

I cannot think of any airport today that has only two Gates (not terminals), as domestic and international.

But no doubt, the oldies and grungiest ASEAN members will be googling to be Mr Meldrew.

[Tropicalevo]

1 hour ago, nigelforbes said:

Bangkok to Hua Hin is no more than 3 hours by road,

Flying is MUCH safer than driving.

Round trip - 4 to 6 hours playing Thai roulette?

No thanks

[nigelforbes]

24 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

Flying is MUCH safer than driving.

Round trip - 4 to 6 hours playing Thai roulette?

No thanks

People still have to drive from home to the airport and from the airport in HH to their hotel etc etc., door to door home wont be any less but the carbon foot print is massive and so much bigger.

[nigelforbes]

30 minutes ago, Drop the dead donkey said:

There is absolutely NO way that a2 gate airport will be sanctioned into an international airport.

This is not Thailand’s choice or option to decide. This is a choice of the whole aviation industry.

I cannot think of any airport today that has only two Gates (not terminals), as domestic and international.

But no doubt, the oldies and grungiest ASEAN members will be googling to be Mr Meldrew.

Flights from Malaysia would require little extra facilities yet it would still qualify as an international airport.  Hat Yai airport in the South used to be very similar.

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, nigelforbes said:

Flights from Malaysia would require little extra facilities yet it would still qualify as an international airport.  Hat Yai airport in the South used to be very similar.

But Had Yai has been an International airport for over 25 years surely.....I believe I flew from there to Penang a long time ago. Don't see why Hua Hin could not be served.. a few domestic routes would help many from the West of Bangkok too. 

[Zapitapi]

bit off topic but does anyone know when the double track rail starts operating..HH-BKK?

[george]

30 minutes ago, Zapitapi said:

bit off topic but does anyone know when the double track rail starts operating..HH-BKK?

  News from a month ago told us that the high speed train will be operational in about 8 or 9 years. Will check and do an updated news topic about it.

 

The dual track should we ready within a year or two, and we will update on the situation as well asap.

[NorthernRyland]

3 hours ago, nigelforbes said:

Are we going to have airports in Thailand every 250 kms or as soon as the journey time by road exceeds 3 hours, it's a nonsense.

It would take more time to get to the airport, park, go through security etc... then it would to drive, plus when you arrive you have no transportation now. Totally stupid idea to fly to Hua Hin from BKK.

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, NorthernRyland said:

It would take more time to get to the airport, park, go through security etc... then it would to drive, plus when you arrive you have no transportation now. Totally stupid idea to fly to Hua Hin from BKK.

The trip by road isn't my idea of fun. 

[Mad mick]

funny in early / late 90s when l lived Hua-hin for 4.5year never was any international flights, odd twin prop plane's small jet 20 seater ! only if or when airport was actually operational periodically closed for runway repairs or overpass extensions ????????  etc,. 

[Wildliferescue]

I live here since 1989, same story since ever. An airport so close to Bangkok has jus not so much appeal for most travelers, especially when most tourists love to visit Bangkok as well, or have no connected flights available. We have had so many one day flies walk in and claim they will get it done. Any foreigner that thinks he can change the authorities mind or way of working is filling himself. It works here only from the top down. International flights to Huahin again? Maybe just the KL connection only. Thats it.