Phuket airport handled 38% more passengers than designed capacity in 2025

Phuket International Airport handled about 17.2 million passengers in 2025, almost 38% above its designed annual capacity of 12.5 million, according to airport general manager Karan Thanakuljeer.

Karan, who heads the Phuket branch of Airports of Thailand (AoT), said passenger numbers had recovered to about 90% of their 2019 pre-COVID-19 level. He said the airport was adjusting its operations during peak and off-peak periods while using technology to improve safety, convenience and processing speeds.

The airport is planning an international-terminal expansion that would add capacity for another 5.5 million passengers a year. The project is at the detailed design acceptance stage, with implementation expected to begin around 2027, Karan said. If completed, it would raise the airport's stated annual capacity to 18 million passengers, matching the upper end of its current forecast.

AoT announced plans in 2023 to invest about B6 billion in Phuket Airport development. The programme included extending the international terminal, adding aircraft parking bays, creating a ground-service equipment area and improving utility infrastructure. It was also intended to increase the airport's flight-handling capacity from 20 to 25 flights per hour.

The latest announcement did not clarify whether the proposed 5.5-million-passenger expansion forms part of the previously announced B6bn programme. No updated overall budget or completion date was provided.

Phuket Airport opened officially in October 1988, after serving as the island's air transport gateway for decades. It was designated an international airport in 1976 and came under AoT operations in 2002. Its current designed capacity was established after the international terminal opened in 2016, when passenger numbers had already exceeded 15.1 million.