Koh Samui plans to lengthen airport operating hours due tourism surge

[snoop1130]

 

Koh Samui's tourism operators are expecting an increase in European tourists as the high tourism season for the Gulf of Thailand is nearing. They are advocating to extend the operating hours at Samui airport to include 20 more flights everyday as they believe this has the potential to increase tourist numbers by 10-20%.

 

The President of the Tourism Association of Koh Samui, Ratchaporn Poolsawadee, expressed confidence in a complete recovery of tourism this season, due to the full resumption of all flights at Samui airport. Visitors are primarily from countries like Germany, UK, France, and Australia. The island is benefitting from a policy that allows tourists from 93 countries to extend their visas and stay up to 60 days.

 

Ratchaporn is hopeful that an increase in flights to Surat Thani Airport and ferry services could help achieve hotel occupancy rates of 80-90% in July and August, the peak season for the Gulf of Thailand. The annual Full Moon Party is also expected to draw big crowds.

 

“The Full Moon Party at Koh Pha Ngan is expected to pull in over 50,000 visitors per event during the high season.”

 

The recent Pride Nation Samui International festival had a positive effect of promoting the island before the peak season.

 

However, there are concerns around inadequate infrastructure. Even though there are enough hotel rooms (about 30,000) for tourists, the airport’s capacity to handle flights and ferry supply falls short of the increasing demand.

 

 

Samui Airport currently operates from 7 am to 10 pm and can handle approximately 50 flights each day. A public forum is due to be held in late July, in which the possible extension of the airport’s operating hours will be discussed with locals and stakeholders.

 

A study suggests that the airport could manage 73 flights a day, achieving an increase in tourist numbers by around 2,000 each day. Ratchaporn is estimating a 10-20% increase in the number of tourists from the 3.4 million tourists recorded last year.

 

The island’s ferry service operators are also preparing for the increase in demand by expanding their fleets.

 

In order to boost tourist spending, the government is considering lifting the ban on alcohol sales from 2 pm to 5 pm. Ratchaporn suggested that caution should be exercised with alcohol consumption and the laws around it should be strongly enforced to maintain safety.

 

“Relaxing the alcohol sales limitation should be balanced with confining drinking to private areas and strictly enforcing the law to ensure road safety and prevent crimes.”

 

The extension of operating hours for bars and entertainment venues until 4 am has proven to be managed effectively by both public and private sectors concerning safety matters.

 

File photo for reference only

 

-- 2024-07-05

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

[Foek]

Maybe open the airport for other flight carriers , or will that no improve tourism?🤔

Edited July 6 by Foek

[Keeps]

23 minutes ago, Foek said:

Maybe open the airport for other flight carriers , or will that no improve tourism?🤔

It would, but it won't increase Bangkok Airways profits and that's what it is all about...

[john donson]

imagine paying good money and planes constantly taking off and landing... nice holiday

 

phuket and surrounding area = pirate islands, ripp off starting with the taxi maffia

[Tropicalevo]

3 hours ago, Foek said:

Maybe open the airport for other flight carriers , or will that no improve tourism?🤔

 

2 hours ago, Keeps said:

It would, but it won't increase Bangkok Airways profits and that's what it is all about...

 

Other airlines have always been flying into Samui.

To say that they have not is an AN posters myth.

Before Covid, there were about six other airlines flying to the island.

Some years ago, TG used to but realised that it was cheaper to code share.

Currently there are two or three other airlines. Scoot and Chengdu Airlines are using the airport.

Cambodia Airways were also flying here but stopped as it there were not enough passengers.

Landing fees may be an issue for them, but more importantly it is the daily flight quota that is the restriction in high season.

As a private airport (no government funding) only 50 flights per day is the max.

Bangkok Airways fills that number in high season.

Edited July 6 by Tropicalevo

[ronster]

They might want to sort out their awful flight timetable !

I had to leave a day early in the afternoon as there was literally 2 morning flights around 8-9am and then next one was around 4pm. After that there was a flight every 15-30 minutes.

My mate flying back also said he couldn't get one back to samui from BKK until late afternoon as no flights .

Plus their prices are absolutely shocking when can fly same airline and flight time to Phuket for about a third of samui price . 

[Tropicalevo]

11 minutes ago, ronster said:

They might want to sort out their awful flight timetable !

I had to leave a day early in the afternoon as there was literally 2 morning flights around 8-9am and then next one was around 4pm. After that there was a flight every 15-30 minutes.

My mate flying back also said he couldn't get one back to samui from BKK until late afternoon as no flights .

Plus their prices are absolutely shocking when can fly same airline and flight time to Phuket for about a third of samui price . 

The other flights were already fully booked?

There are at least 20 - 30 flights a day from Bangkok BKK and DMK depending on the season.

It is their most popular route.

One customer in January flew in from Saudi and assumed that he could just pop onto one of the many flights on the timetable.

He had to wait two days for availability.

 

https://www.samuiairportonline.com/flight-status/

 

[ronster]

50 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

The other flights were already fully booked?

There are at least 20 - 30 flights a day from Bangkok BKK and DMK depending on the season.

It is their most popular route.

One customer in January flew in from Saudi and assumed that he could just pop onto one of the many flights on the timetable.

He had to wait two days for availability.

 

https://www.samuiairportonline.com/flight-status/

 

I wouldn't think so as they weren't on the timetable and the airport wasn't busy when I left on one of first flights out in afternoon. I had 3 seats all to myself on my flight out .

[Tropicalevo]

Operating hours were certainly extended at Samui yesterday.

Flights still leaving at 23.30.

Lots of delayed flights onto the island.

When I looked, out of 22 flights on the board at the time, 13 were delayed. Some very long delays.

The longest delay was from Chiang Mai - 630 minutes.

I presume that there was a lot of very bad weather around Thailand. (Sunny here though.)

[phetphet]

They don’t need to lengthen operating hours. Just restore all the flights they have cut back. Bangkok Air website showing no flights some days next week from morning until evening. 9am until 7pm.

[Tropicalevo]

1 hour ago, phetphet said:

They don’t need to lengthen operating hours. Just restore all the flights they have cut back. Bangkok Air website showing no flights some days next week from morning until evening. 9am until 7pm.

 

All flights are full.

A friend trying to get to Bangkok for a meeting is having to wait 5 days and can only fly Business class in the last available seat.

Bangkok airways website only shows available flights.

Try this one

 

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airports/usm/departures

 

departures today -

 

Wednesday, Jul 10
06:55	PG450	Bangkok (DMK)	Bangkok Airways (Sea & Palm Tree Livery)	AT76 (HS-PZH)		Departed 06:51
07:00	PG102	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	A319 (HS-PGZ)		Departed 07:03
08:00	PG104	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	A319 (HS-PPG)		Departed 08:08
08:00	PG251	Phuket (HKT)	Bangkok Airways	AT76 (HS-PZC)		Departed 07:58
08:15	PG1110	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	AT76 (HS-PZG)		Departed 08:18
08:45	PG106	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	A319 (HS-PPC)		Departed 08:50
08:50	TR641	Singapore (SIN)	Scoot	E290 (9V-THA)		Departed 08:55
08:55	PG241	Chiang Mai (CNX)	Bangkok Airways	A319 (HS-PPS)		Departed 09:02
09:15	PG122	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	A319 (HS-PPU)		Departed 09:31
10:10	PG124	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	AT76 (HS-PZE)		Departed 10:32
10:55	PG805	Hong Kong (HKG)	Bangkok Airways	A319 (HS-PGY)		Departed 11:00
11:10	PG293	Rayong (UTP)	Bangkok Airways	AT76 (HS-PZC)		Departed 11:17
11:15	PG452	Bangkok (DMK)	Bangkok Airways (Sea & Palm Tree Livery)	AT76 (HS-PZH)		Departed 11:22
11:25	PG253	Phuket (HKT)	Bangkok Airways	AT76 (HS-PZD)		Departed 11:48
11:45	PG130	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	A319 (HS-PGX)		Departed 12:01
12:10	TR643	Singapore (SIN)	Scoot	E290 (9V-THB)		Departed 12:07
12:15	PG405	Phuket (HKT)	Bangkok Airways	AT76 (HS-PZF)		Departed 12:52
12:25	PG265	Krabi (KBV)	Bangkok Airways	AT76 (HS-PZK)		Departed 12:30
13:30	PG963	Singapore (SIN)	Bangkok Airways	A319 (HS-PPU)		Departed 13:44
14:00	PG144	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	A319 (HS-PPS)		Departed 14:08
14:25	PG1138	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	AT76 (HS-PZA)		Departed 14:33
14:30	PG255	Phuket (HKT)	Bangkok Airways	AT76 (HS-PZD)		Departed 14:54
14:35	PG136	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	A319 (HS-PPB)		Departed 15:03
15:20	PG150	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	AT76 (HS-PZF)		Departed 15:55
15:25	PG259	Phuket (HKT)	Bangkok Airways (Sea & Palm Tree Livery)	AT76 (HS-PZH)		Departed 15:32
15:30	PG146	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	A319 (HS-PPT)		Departed 15:40
15:50	PG148	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	A319 (HS-PPG)		Departed 16:31
15:55	PG454	Bangkok (DMK)	Bangkok Airways	AT76 (HS-PZK)		Departed 15:52
16:25	PG961	Singapore (SIN)	Bangkok Airways	A319 (HS-PGX)		Departed 16:44
17:25	PG166	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	A319 (HS-PPC)		Departed 17:32
17:50	PG168	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	319		Scheduled
17:55	PG257	Phuket (HKT)	Bangkok Airways	AT76 (HS-PZD)		Estimated dep. 17:55
18:25	PG170	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	319		Estimated dep. 18:50
18:55	PG176	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	ATR		Scheduled
19:00	PG401	Phuket (HKT)	Bangkok Airways	ATR		Scheduled
19:10	PG180	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	319		Scheduled
19:15	PG182	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	319		Estimated dep. 21:05
19:30	PG186	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	319		Scheduled
21:10	PG184	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	319		Estimated dep. 21:45
21:15	PG192	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	ATR		Scheduled
21:30	PG196	Bangkok (BKK)	Bangkok Airways	ATR		Scheduled
21:45	PG831	Chengdu (TFU)	Bangkok Airways	319