Air transportation in Thailand - statistics & facts
Thailand is a renowned tourist destination and a center for conferences and exhibits, drawing visitors worldwide. This helped develop the country into an important air travel hub in Asia. The growth of low-cost airlines over the past ten years in the domestic air travel market has made air travel more affordable and accessible, fueling the industry's rapid growth. Between 2020 and 2021, like the rest of the world, Thailand’s aviation industry was greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the Thai government lifted traveling restrictions and opened the country for international tourism again. Since then, the number of foreign visitors arriving at Thailand's airports increased significantly.
The Thai air freight sector is integral to the country's logistics and transportation industry. With its strategic location at the crossroads of Southeast Asia, Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok has become a central air freight hub in the region, handling a significant amount of air cargo for both domestic and international destinations. The country's strong manufacturing sector, including industries such as automotive and electronics, has also driven demand for air freight services. However, economic uncertainty caused by the ongoing war in Ukraine impacted the air freight volume in Thailand in 2023.
Thailand’s air passenger and air freight sector after the pandemic
Despite strong headwinds due to COVID-19 travel restrictions that limited international air travel between early 2020 and mid-2022, the Thai passenger aviation industry is expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels in 2024. The total number of flights in Thailand in 2023 already showed an increase, compared to the previous year. The return of Chinese tourists to Thailand will be another important factor in the air passenger sector’s recovery, as the Chinese government has permitted its citizens to travel again in 2023. Before the lockdown in 2020, Chinese arrivals amounted to the highest number of international visitors in Thailand in 2019The Thai air freight sector is integral to the country's logistics and transportation industry. With its strategic location at the crossroads of Southeast Asia, Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok has become a central air freight hub in the region, handling a significant amount of air cargo for both domestic and international destinations. The country's strong manufacturing sector, including industries such as automotive and electronics, has also driven demand for air freight services. However, economic uncertainty caused by the ongoing war in Ukraine impacted the air freight volume in Thailand in 2023.
