Krabi International Airport
Krabi International Airport[1] (Thai: ท่าอากาศยานนานาชาติกระบี่ (IATA: KBV, ICAO: VTSG), is an international airport serving Krabi, Thailand. It is about 7 kilometres (4 mi) east of the city center. The airport opened in 1999.[2]: 18 In 2017, the airport handled over 4.3 million passengers.[3] The terminal is designed for three million passengers, a number that has already been exceeded, and expansion will push its capacity to over 8 million.[4]
Krabi International Airport ท่าอากาศยานนานาชาติกระบี่ | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Department of Airports | ||||||||||
| Serves | Krabi | ||||||||||
| Location | Nuea Khlong, Krabi, Thailand | ||||||||||
| Opened | 10 July 1999 | ||||||||||
| Operating base for | Thai AirAsia | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 82 ft / 25 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 08°06′03″N 098°59′05″E | ||||||||||
| Maps | |||||||||||
  KBV Location of Krabi Airport Thailand | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2019) | |||||||||||
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Airport operations
On 10 February 2016 the Krabi Airport terminal was plunged into darkness for over six hours (09:00–15:30) due to an electrical power outage. The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) had notified Krabi Airport two days in advance that it would shut down power in the area for maintenance. Airport authorities activated back-up generators, but they did not work. Krabi's airport director stated after the event that management will rent generators in the future to prevent blackouts from happening. With no power for their computers, immigration officials were unable to access immigration databases and were forced to write down details of 2,000 passengers for later vetting. The deputy national police chief in charge of security, Pol Col Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, assured the public that a follow-up check showed that no blacklisted people were allowed into the country during the incident.[5]
Expansion
In 2018, the airport was allocated 6.6 billion baht to build a third terminal, renovate the existing two terminals and car park, and expand aircraft parking bays and associated electrical power infrastructure.[6] In 2019, the Department of Airports announced a project to double the airport's capacity to eight million passengers per year.[7] The airport will no longer be expanded after its final phase of expansion due to lack of space and the city's expansion, and will not be able to cope with the future traffic. So, a new international airport is proposed to be built in Phang Nga province, which is expected to be completed by 2025, and will serve as an alternative to Krabi airport.[8][9]
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| AirAsia | Kuala Lumpur–International |
| Bangkok Airways | Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Koh Samui |
| flydubai | Dubai–International[10] |
| Scoot | Singapore |
| Sichuan Airlines | Chengdu–Tianfu[11] |
| Thai Airways International | Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi (begins 1 January 2024) |
| Thai AirAsia | Bangkok–Don Mueang, Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Chiang Mai |
| Thai Lion Air | Bangkok–Don Mueang |
| Thai Smile | Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi (ends 31 December 2023) |
| Thai VietJet Air | Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi[12] |
Statistics
| Year | Total |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 1,190,115 |
| 2013 | 1,668,250 |
| 2014 | 2,700,095 |
| 2015 | 3,689,672 |
| 2016 | 4,079,564 |
| 2017 | 4,339,599 |
| 2018 | 4,193,099 |
References
- "กรมการบินพลเรือน". Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- World Wildlife Fund Greater Mekong Program (WWF-GMP); South East Asian-Global Change System for Analysis, Research and Training organisation (SEA-START) (December 2008). Climate Change Impacts in Krabi Province, Thailand. A study of environmental, social, and economic challenges (PDF). Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- "Krabi Airport: All Traffic for the Year 2015" (PDF). Department of Civil Aviation (DCA). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- Mackey, Michael. "Krabi airport to expand, ease Phuket congestion". TTG Asia. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- "Power crash a major flaw". Bangkok Post. 13 February 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
- "Krabi airport upgrade taking off". Bangkok Post. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- Thodsapol, Hongtong (6 August 2019). "Three airports to be upgraded". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- "Phang Nga - Andaman International Airport New Airport Profile | CAPA". centreforaviation.com. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
- "» New airport planned for Phangnga to serve southern tourism". thaiembdc.org. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
- "Flydubai grows its network to 113 destinations in 53 countries".
- "Sichuan Airlines NS23 International / Regional Service Changes". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- Thai Vietjet Air begin seasonal service between Bangkok and Krabi
