Thailand Airports Passengers And Traffic Numbers Drop

[george]

Thailand airports passengers and traffic numbers drop

BANGKOK: -- Passenger traffic through Thailand's six main airports dropped for the third consecutive month in September, bringing passenger numbers to levels last seen four years ago.

Last month's steep decline, 20.2% lower than in the same period last year, was due to the the double impact of the slowdown in global travel demand and the deteriorating political standoff in Thailand.

Anti-government demonstrations in Bangkok, which spilled over to Phuket where protesters forced the airport to close, curbed passenger flows as double-digit declines were recorded across the board in international and domestic numbers.

Passengers through the airports operated by Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) including Suvarnabhumi, totalled 3.48 million last month, compared to 4.36 million in September 2007.

International passenger numbers declined 19.4% to 2.22 million and domestic ones 21.5% to 1.25 million, according to figures from AoT.

Total flight movements were down 15.8% year-on-year to 26,832. The drop reflected budget carriers' sharp cutback in flights in September by nearly 40% to 5,406, and a 6.3% reduction by conventional airlines to 21,426.

Cumulative January-September passenger numbers were 2.75% higher over the same period last year at 42.97 million, though flight movements fell 1.7% to 290,273.

The passenger traffic outlook for the fourth quarter is mixed, with much depending on how the worldwide financial crisis spreads and to what extent.

Aviation experts see, at best, stagnation when compared to the same period last year, with high-season tourism demand preventing the numbers from slipping too much.

-- Bangkok Post 2008-10-24

[geriatrickid]

Pattaya news reports an 80% drop in asian tourists???

So much for the big strategy of replacing pasty white farangs wih asians I guess.

Maybe those fat people in short shorts and stained singlets are valuable after all.

[lazeeboy]

after whats happened here is anyone surprised?

[Ricardo]

After what happened, to the price of oil & the global economy & the strong-baht policy, is anyone surprised, apart from the BoT Governor, who denies any effect yet on Thai tourism ? Deny away ... it won't change the reality of the down-turn.

One-two-go aren't flying, and Nok have 3 planes (out of a former 9) in the air, so domestic travel figures were always going to be down. High fares were always going to impact international numbers.

Perhaps the fall was already evident earlier in the year too ? But that would have been politically embarrassing to admit.