More airlines plan to move to Bangkok Don Mueang airport

BANGKOK – Fully opened? Partially opened? Not opened as Bangkok needs only one airport? The debate which stirred a couple of years ago Bangkok aviation microcosm seems today so far away and… so ridiculous. As Suvarnabhumi Airport is largely saturated and still waiting to start its expansion – already three times delayed- Bangkok Don Mueang is a welcoming alternative to relieve Thailand’s main international gateway. 
 

Don Mueang is booming thanks to an increase in activity of low fare carriers to and from Thailand. After welcoming 16.48 million passengers last year, the airport is likely now to reach the 19-million mark this year, far above the airport’s theoretical capacity of 18 million passengers. During the first six months of 2014, total passengers’ output rose already by 20.5%, despite Thailand’s political crisis.
 

Eventually, perspectives look pretty good for the second half of the year as a wave of new airlines and flights are due to start. Kicking off in just one month, both AirAsia X and NokScoot will start new long haul flights to Japan –Airasia X to Osaka and Tokyo and NokScoot most probably to Narita. At the same time, Scoot will move its flights to Don Mueang airport from Singapore.
 

For regional low cost carriers, Thai Smile will operate from now three daily flights to Chiang Mai out of Don Mueang. Flights will start this coming Friday. Then two new low fare airlines plan to start their operations from September 1st, Tigerair Taiwan to Taipei and Golden Myanmar to Yangon. Ten airlines will then be based at the airport. It will force Don Mueang airport management AOT to complete on time the renovation of Terminal 2. According to the airport’s company, this should be the case by December, just in time for the start of the high season.