The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) board on Wednesday approved a proposal to raise the passenger service charge (PSC) by 25 baht at seven provincial airports.
This proposed increase, initiated by the Department of Airports, affects airports in Krabi, Surat Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Phitsanulok under its supervision.
During the CAAT board meeting, it was decided that the PSC for international flights would increase to 425 baht per passenger and to 75 baht for domestic flights.
This was confirmed by Chayatan Phromsorn, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Transport and deputy chairman of the CAAT commissioner board.
These airports are also set to introduce three new automated service systems for passengers: Common Use Terminal Equipment (CUTE), Common Use Self Service (CUSS), and Common Use Bag Drop (CUBD).
However, Mr. Chayatan stated that this increase in PSC will not be implemented until these systems have undergone CAAT inspection. Furthermore, the rise must be publicized at least four months before the systems are officially operational.
Additionally, the CAAT board sanctioned the closure of Thai Smile Airways Co. Ltd, following its merger with Thai Airways International in 2023. Thai Smile Airways was a budget subsidiary of its parent company, THAI.
Meanwhile, AirAsia is expanding its domestic footprint by launching two new routes from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, offering twice-daily flights to Udon Thani and a daily flight to Khon Kaen.
The budget carrier is establishing Suvarnabhumi as a crucial domestic hub, augmenting its existing routes, which include six daily trips to Chiang Mai, four to Phuket, and two each to Krabi and Hat Yai.
This expansion enhances Suvarnabhumi’s role as an international gateway and solidifies AirAsia’s reputation for punctuality. The airline was recently ranked first in Thailand and among the top five in the Asia Pacific for on-time performance by Cirium.
