Protests take toll on Thai airport traffic
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Thailand’s six main airports saw passenger numbers for 2008 decline 4.8%, as political protests and sliding travel demand took their toll.
According to Airports of Thailand (AoT), a total of 54.4 million passengers passed through the airports, down from 57.2 million in 2007. The figures were the combined total of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, as well as Phuket and Hat Yai in the south, and the northern Thai hubs of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.
The figures we highly distorted by the events of 25 November to 3 December, which was anti-government protesters blockading both Bangkok hubs. December passengers at all airports fell 36% year-on-year to 3.51 million, led by Suvarnabhumi which saw passenger traffic drop 37.6% fall to 2.4 million. International passengers dropped 40.5% to fewer than 1.9 million, with domestic traffic down 23.6% to 494,897.
Phuket International Airport, Thailand second busiest hub, saw passenger number grow 0.5% despite itself being closed for a weekend in September. International passengers through Phuket rose 10% to 2.4 million while domestic travel fell 5.5% to 3.21 million. The island hub also saw the knock-on affect from the Bangkok protests, with December’s traffic dropping 19.8% year-on-year to 483,981.
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