AOT:Six major Thai airports cater over 74m passengers in 2012

BANGKOK, January 4 (TNA) - Thailand's six major airports served over 74 million international passengers last year, an 11.9 per cent year-on-year increase. Acting President of Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT) Somchai Sawasdeepon publicly released the figure on Friday, as part of the AOT's report on its overall performance in 2012, saying that based on the preliminary data, the six Thai major airports, including the Suvarnbhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai, Phuket and Mae Fah Luang Airports in Chiang Rai, welcomed up to some 74.26 million passengers last year, comprising 46 million international travelers and 28.25 million domestic travelers. Somchai acknowledged that the six Thai airports also catered a total of 496,749 flights last year, a 10.5 per cent year-on-year increase, comprising 275,422 international flights and 221,327 domestic flights, with Thailand's main Suvarnabhumi International Airport serving most flights, at 312,493 with up to some 51.46 million passengers, followed by 60,457 flights with 9.45 million passengers at the Phuket International Airport in Thai South. The acting AOT chief, meanwhile, told journalists that the second-phase development of the Suvarnbhumi International Airport, set during the Thai government's 2011-2017 fiscal years, has been on well-progress. (TNA)