BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thailand’s airport operator reported record income and passenger volumes in the 2025 financial period, underscoring a robust rebound in aviation and tourism.
Record income across six major airports
The Airports of Thailand (AOT) reported total income of 68.59 billion baht, an increase of 1.12% from the previous year. Aeronautical revenues rose by 6.6%, driven by 126 million passengers handled at the six AOT airports.
“The growth was fueled by a 6.92% increase in passenger service charges.”
said Paweena Jariyathitipong, AOT president.
Surge in flights and passengers
Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Mae Fah Luang–Chiang Rai, Phuket and Hat Yai recorded a combined 788,095 flight movements, up 7.56%. International services accounted for 444,944 movements, while domestic flights totaled 343,151.
Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport handled more than 62 million passengers alone, underscoring the renewed strength of Thailand’s tourism sector. The figures indicated that demand had returned to top-tier levels after an earlier decline in the current year.
Duty-free and rental revenues under pressure
Non-aeronautical income fell by 6.89%, mainly due to a 1.77 billion baht drop in concession revenues, particularly in the duty-free segment. Rental income decreased by 518.91 million baht, which AOT attributed to tax-related adjustments from the previous year.
Overall expenses rose by 5.43%, driven largely by higher maintenance costs and depreciation. Despite these pressures, the group’s net profit reached 18.13 billion baht, highlighting the sector’s resilience.
Biometrics and automation to ease congestion
AOT placed a strong focus on modernization to manage growing passenger flows.
“We improved terminal processes at Suvarnabhumi Airport to streamline the arrival and departure of passengers,”
said Paweena.
Biometric processing and expanded automated lanes were introduced to speed up and secure checks. Suvarnabhumi had already upgraded biometric capture points for departing international passengers, aiming to deliver world-class service as volumes continued to grow.
Tourism rebound outpaces expectations
Of the 126 million passengers handled at the six airports, 76.64 million were international travelers and 49.35 million were domestic passengers. These results exceeded even the most optimistic forecasts.
The strong aviation performance suggested that the appeal of a holiday in Thailand remained very much alive, even as questions persisted about how long the current growth trajectory could be sustained.