BANGKOK, THAILAND – Nearly 580,000 passengers used Thailand’s state-operated airports over the New Year 2026 period, underscoring a sharp recovery in air travel.
New Year traffic jumps more than 80%
According to Danai Ruengson, director-general of the Department of Airports, the airports handled 579,969 passengers between 26 December 2025 and 5 January 2026. Compared with the same New Year period a year earlier, passenger numbers rose by 81.54 percent, while commercial flights increased by 78.75 percent. The authority viewed this as another step towards pre-crisis levels for the aviation sector.
Krabi leads airport network
The holiday destination Krabi Airport recorded the highest traffic in the network, with 145,828 passengers and 946 commercial flights. It thus remained the most important location among the facilities operated by the department. Behind Krabi, regional hubs in the north and northeast followed: Udon Thani with 73,598 passengers, Khon Kaen with 64,232, Surat Thani with 60,677 and Ubon Ratchathani with 43,501, serving as key nodes for domestic and tourist travel.
Flights and freight volumes
Across all airports, 3,827 commercial flights were operated during the observed period. Alongside passenger services, freight transport also played a role. Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport led in cargo, handling 22,294 kilograms of goods within a total volume of 102,072 kilograms.
Focus on safety and connectivity
Danai said airport operations ran smoothly during the peak travel days.
“Overall service was smooth, with a clear focus on safety and good connectivity between airports, cities and tourist destinations.”
said Danai Ruengson, director-general of the Department of Airports.
To prevent bottlenecks, sufficient public transport was provided at the airports so that no travellers were left stranded. According to the department, this contributed significantly to the high satisfaction levels among passengers.
Boost for tourism and regional economies
The authority interpreted the strong rise in traveller numbers as an important boost for tourism. Regions with high holiday traffic especially benefited from improved accessibility. The development also supported local service sectors and retail at the airport locations, and officials expected the robust growth in air traffic to contribute to a busy travel year in the regions.
Questions over sustainability of growth
With nearly 580,000 passengers in just a few days, many in Thailand saw what they considered the definitive comeback of tourism. At the same time, the figures raised questions about whether higher volumes would automatically translate into quality, safety and sustainable income. Observers also debated whether the country was once again pursuing a sheer volume-driven strategy that could revive old problems, and whether this marked the start of a strong year or only a brief New Year surge.