Thailand’s April turmoil deflates air traffic
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Passenger and aircraft traffic through Thailand’s six main airports continued to decline in April as political turmoil returned to the streets of Bangkok, dashing hopes of a tourism recovery.
According to the latest statistics released by Airports of Thailand (AoT), reported by the Bangkok Post, total passenger throughput in the month contracted 12.1% year-on-year to 4.43 million, while aircraft movements fell 9.9% to 30,433. Traditionally, April is one of the peak traffic months as the Songkran New Year festival drives tourist to the Kingdom. However this year rioting by anti-government demonstrators compounded a decline in traffic that had already been in free-fall since the airport closures of late last year.
International passenger traffic through the AoT-operated airports, including Bangkok’s main hub, Suvarnabhumi, fell 12.9% to 2.73 million in April, while domestic traffic contracted 10.7% to 1.70 million. International flight arrivals and departures in the month fell 6.3% to 17,257 while domestic movements were down 14.2% to 13,176.
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