Thailand's Airport Traffic Decline Eases

Thailand's airport traffic decline eases

BANGKOK: -- Passenger traffic through Thailand's six main airports continued to fall in March, though less dramatically than in February, due to recessionary pressures and the impact of Thailand's political tensions.

March's overall passenger flow shrank by 14.22% over the same month in 2008 to 4.78 million, compared to a 20.55% contraction in February.

The month's traffic through the six airports operated by Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) fell 14.63% year-on-year to 30,128 flights, compared with a drop of 19.42% the previous month.

Passenger throughput at Suvarnabhumi dropped 11.08% in March to 3.46 million. Domestic volume increased 7.55% year-on-year to 734,130, while international traffic fell 15% to 2.72 million.

In the first quarter, passenger traffic was down 17.03% to 13.71 million with 8.43 million international passengers, down 18.26%, and 5.28 million domestic passengers, down 14.98% year-on-year.

Aircraft movements between January and March dipped 16% year-on-year to 89,481, while international traffic declined 12.87% to 50,627, and domestic flights contracted 19.9% to 38,854, according to AoT figures.

A continued decline in passenger and aircraft traffic through Thai airports is expected in the coming months, according to industry observers.

Riots in the Thai capital during Songkran and fears of an H1N1 influenza pandemic have further dampened the industry's outlook.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-05-11