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 With
the year end approaching, our special report today take in depth look at the
Phuket International Airport’s operation and its passenger & flight figures
for the first ten months of the year, January to October 2005, which came
out last week and we had a chance to examine them in depth with Flight
Lieutenant Pornchai Eua-aree, Director of Phuket International Airport.
First and foremost, we looked at the total number of passengers, both
international and domestic, including all those disembarking-arriving and
embarking-departing and those transiting: about 2.42 million, compared to
last year’s 4.36 million, a decrease of 44.54%.
There have been decreases every month this year, especially in January
just after the tsunami of 64%, but the decreases have fallen by October to
only 23%, so there’s been some improvement there: “In January I think many
evacuation flights came to Phuket at that time and in October the trend or
passengers was increasing, so the airlines tended to use large aircraft, so
the flight numbers decrease, while the number of passengers increase.”
Will it fully recover in the last months of this year with no decreases,
to the same as last year?
“No I don’t think it will be the same as last year, because Phuket
airport does not serve only Phuket island, it serves both Phuket and Phang
Nga area; in my knowledge in Phang Nga we will not gain or be equal to last
year for accommodation rooms.”
So there is still plenty of work to do before the airport can manage to
bring in more tourists, perhaps next year:
Regarding the total number of aircraft movement which was 19,259 compared
to 29,142 or 33.91% down on last year, with fairly steady consistent
decreases each month, he felt they were a little misleading as airlines
adjust their aircraft sizes::
“Normally as a small airport like Phuket we emphasize on the passenger
numbers, not the aircraft. When the passengers are good, the aircraft-
airlines tend to use large aircraft.”
It sounded rather like the chicken and the egg situation!
“No I mean when the passengers reduce, they tend to reduce their size of
aircraft, so the number of aircraft tend to go the same level.”
He did not see much change in the number of charters already or coming
soon saying that they have not increased dramatically since last year.
The Phuket airport director claimed the markets from some cold countries
do not seem to be increasing in their Winter Season:
“Until today the number of charter flights from Russia & Scandinavia are
the same level as last year.”
What may be important for the airport’s image and work are the extra
flights they will have to handle especially on 25 & 27 December for many
relatives and those injured coming for the 1st year tsunami memorials:
“It should be very unusual and arrival process in the airport, but the
most of them have transferred from Bangkok, not directly from abroad, so it
may be not so many busy.”
He can also ensure that they will look after the many Heads of States,
Ministers and VIPs also due for the ceremonies, before and after.
So all in all it may not have been a good year for the Phuket
International airport’s figures but we figure the famous figures coming
soon, will help boost Phuket’s image, so the airport can figure out better
future figures.
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