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Cranes at Phuket's one-runway  airport don't mean more tourists

Runaway Success But Runway Can't Take It

Thursday, March 21, 2013
News Analysis

PHUKET: The single runway at Phuket International Airport has become so busy that no additional flights can be added between April 1 and April 22, Phuketwan has learned.

One proposal for extra flights by budget airline AirAsia has been turned down because flights into and out of Phuket have reached maximum daily levels, says a well-placed source at the airport.

With more than one million passengers arriving and departing in January and again in February, and the ''No Vacancy'' sign going up in April, questions are now being asked about Phuket's tourism future.

Phuket International Airport is the main piece of infrastructure for Phuket tourism. If that gateway has reached capacity, what happens next?

It's understood that while some experimental flights now land at Krabi airport and transport passengers by road to Phuket, feedback from tourists has not been positive because of the extra travel time.

Construction work is proceeding on a new international terminal and car park for Phuket. But the ''expanded'' airport will still have only one runway.

The project is expected to boost Phuket's handling capacity to 12.5 million tourists.

However, it's plain that this is more about the comfort of the visitors and the speed of their processing in or out than about catering to any increase in tourist numbers.

Three years of remarkable accelleration have boosted Phuket's annual air passenger tally to 9.5 million in 2012.

The surge of 13 percent last year followed annual increases of 21.66 percent in 2010 and 20.25 percent in 2011.

The question that's most important for Phuket's future now is not where passengers are coming from, but how they will get here. Once the airport's maximum capacity has been reached, that's anybody's guess.

And if Phuket airport has no slots available for additional flights between April 1 and April 22 this year, the spaces in high season are probably all gone, with low season rapidly filling up.

The time is fast approaching when all slots will be taken between January 1 and December 31.

This is a remarkable achievement. Phuket has overcome the setback of the disastrous 2004 tsunami to achieve a prominent place among the world's best-known holiday destinations.

Encouraging visitors to come from one particular country is actually counter-productive. Phuket's success has been based on its appeal in a variety of nations.

This wonderful diversity makes Phuket tourism stronger and more capable of resilience if economic conditions damage one or even two markets.

Phuket does not need more Russians, Chinese or Australians. Indeed, pleas for visitors from any single country are clearly based on self-interest.

Diversity is what drives Phuket and its future. Phuket needs more people from new, developing markets to strengthen its resistance to future downturns. India and the Middle East spring to mind.

The immense attraction of brand Phuket - ''unbelievable'' is the word our airport source used - makes Phuket a runaway success. Sadly, it is not a runway success.

If the first third of 2013 is any guide, Phuket will burst through the 10 million passengers barrier effortlessly this year.

Reaching the capacity of 12.5 million could even take place years before the new international terminal and carport open in late 2015 or early 2016.

What happens then? Airports of Thailand, which manages Phuket International Airport, cannot expand Phuket airport any further. When the new facilities are opened, that will be it.

Phuket has to look carefully at its ''carrrying capacity.'' This is something many people in Phuket's tourism bodies are coming to understand.

Phuket needs to carefully balance the number of tourists with its natural attributes. The point has just about been reached where the maximum number of tourists that Phuket can sustain has been achieved.

Next: How Phuket Compares With Bali, and Why Bali is Losing the Plot

Comments

Comments have been disabled for this article.

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LGW handles some 35 million pax per year.... with a single runway.... So what's the fuss.

Posted by Geraint Lewis on March 21, 2013 18:32

Editor Comment:

That's great for LGW . . . wherever that is.

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Why are the authorities not building a second runway?

Is there not enough space or land available?

Can anyone please enlighten me.

Thanks :-)

Posted by Jonny on March 21, 2013 18:46

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LGW stands for London GatWick.

Posted by Fritz Pinguin on March 21, 2013 19:49

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LGW, London Gatwick maybe?

Posted by christian on March 21, 2013 20:08

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I have suggested an alternative solution before - move the airport to a new custom built (2 runway) site on the other side of Saracen Bridge. A large percentage of the tourists landing are heading for destinations off the island. It would only add approx 20 minutes to the journey time within Phuket itself.

Posted by Logic on March 21, 2013 20:12

Editor Comment:

You think the Phuket region needs a larger airport? Why?

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Geraint Lewis asks a legitimate question. If Gatwick can handle 35 million passengers per year with one runway, then why not Phuket? Is there a difference in the length of the runway or is a matter of not having enough parking spaces for the planes at Phuket airport?

Posted by christian on March 21, 2013 20:24

Editor Comment:

The more important question is whether Phuket really wants to keep growing until it's as urbanised as London.

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i noticed that already, low season became high season and high season became bali (hell)

Posted by luttz on March 21, 2013 20:30

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Good news in two different ways. It affirms Phuket's drawing power and it gives the island a reprieve from the relentless growth, which if unchecked, threatened to destroy the island's appeal. This gives some time for the rest of the infrastructure and software to catch up and should be a headwind for future development. Wonder how this will affect the substantial new developments coming to market in the near future. P.S. One runway is not necessarily such a great restriction. Kai Tak airport serviced Hong Kong perfectly well with one runway until 1997.

Posted by Yojimbo on March 21, 2013 20:53

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Personally, I would like to see the influx of tourists slowed down to manageable proportions, i.e. what the infrastructure can comfortably handle. But whilst authorities like TAT are obsessed with increasing everything (including statistics) to bursting point, it seemed a sensible suggestion to relocate the airport to where it can expand to what they want it to be.

They did it in Bangkok, though arguably with very poor results. I can remember when Generals were being appointed to make the new Suvarnabhumi airport a world's top 10 hub instead of 'Super Dump', as it got dubbed soon after opening. That died a death & they were eventually forced to re-open Don Muang. So do we have any faith in Thailand organizing anything sensibly? No, but perhaps that is one of the endearing & enduring features of Amazing Thailand.

Posted by Logic on March 21, 2013 22:13

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Type LGW into google ED and open your mind to a whole new world outside of PW. Wow you are so weird and stupid.

Posted by Happy Farang on March 21, 2013 22:19

Editor Comment:

I think other readers will understand when your name disappears from comments for good, Happy Farang, as it is about to do.

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@ Geraint Lewis

Check your facts.

LGW has 2 runways - 08L/26R @ 2565m and 08R/26L @ 3316m.

HKT single 09/27 runway is 3000m in length.

Posted by ATPL on March 21, 2013 22:59

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@ATPL.
Gatwick operates as a single runway airport. Strictly speaking it has two runways, however, the northern runway (08L/26R) can only be used when the main runway (08R/26L) is out of use, for example because of maintenance or an accident. The runways cannot be used at the same time because there is insufficient separation between them, and during normal operation the northern runway is used as a taxiway. It can take 15 minutes to change from one to the other.

Posted by Steve on March 22, 2013 09:57

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I think there is no need to talk about expansion. The island is full. Instead they could start promoting Krabi and Hua Hin stronger.

Posted by Jakub on March 23, 2013 08:16

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The tourism authorities have cut their own throats with pushes for more, more and more tourists, most of whom are on a tight budget or are of the zero dollar type. What they should have done was market to the richer ones who actually spend money in the local economy. Also, money which makes it direct to local pockets comes from the very low end tourist - the backpacker. They use the local buses, stay in hostels and guest houses - all local owned or operated.
Driving around, I see lots of tourist buses taking the usual tours from hotel to speedboat to leather shop to latex shop to restaurant to "attraction" to hotel. Most of these sites are owned by Russian / Korean / Chinese and the money stays there (this is an educated guess and also gleaned from talking to people in the business).
Many years ago I thought Pattaya could not get any busier but it has, Phuket still has a long way to grow, I think. It will not get any prettier, though.

Posted by peter on March 23, 2013 09:06

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@peter

What do you mean with "the momey stays there"? Are u indicating that there is no benefit for thailand if russians, chinese or koreans spend money on a bus shopping tour visiting shops owned by their countrymen? There is... big time: its called taxes and jobs for thai people!

Posted by holly on March 23, 2013 12:24

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What? People still want to come to Phuket?

Posted by Simon on March 30, 2013 10:10

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The problem I see for the future of one runway at HKT, is with all those thousands of tons of aircraft hitting the landing zones, something has to give and it's going to be the tarmac. As we know, the word or doing of maintenance in Thailand is non existent . . . (moderated)

Posted by Duncan B on March 30, 2013 13:45

Editor Comment:

Regular maintenance is performed on Phuket airport's tarmac, Duncan B. You'd know that if you bothered to do even a scrap of research. We're not interested in your pathetic jokes.

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A friend who lives in Singapore told me that Phuket is now off limits to him and many others as it takes longer to pass immigration at Phuket airport than it takes to fly there. Also Phuket golf courses have priced themselves out of the market as they are now some of the most expensive anywhere. It seems crazy to me. How are they going to attract quality tourists?

Posted by Pete on April 3, 2013 10:36

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The issue at Phuket International Airport is not so much the runway (which at 3,000m is adaquate for wide bodied aircraft) but with the taxi-way. Apart from other restrictions, it is not long enough. Some aircraft needing to take off have to turn onto the runway itself, taxi right to the end, make a U turn, before being ready to take off. All this takes time. Busy airports (eg London Gatwick) typically construct high-speed or rapid-exit taxiways in order to allow aircraft to leave the runway at higher speeds. This allows the aircraft to vacate the runway quicker, permitting another to land or depart in a shorter space of time.

Posted by hkmike on April 3, 2013 14:06


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