Chiang Rai International Airport

Mae Fah Luang - Chiang Rai International Airport

ท่าอากาศยานแม่ฟ้าหลวง เชียงราย
Tha-akatsayan Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/Operator
Serves
LocationBan Du, Mueang Chiang Rai, Chiang Rai, Thailand
Opened5 August 1992 (1992-08-05)
Operating base forThai AirAsia
Elevation AMSL390 m / 1,280 ft
Coordinates19°57′08″N 99°52′58″E / 19.95222°N 99.88278°E / 19.95222; 99.88278
Websitechiangrai.airportthai.co.th
Maps
CEI/VTCT
Location in Thailand
CEI/VTCT
Location in Southeast Asia
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
03/21 3,000 9,843 Asphalt concrete
Statistics (2024)
Total passengers1,912,859 0.38%
International passengers7,370 1,819.27%
Domestic passengers1,905,489 0.75%
Aircraft movements12,449 0.29%
Freight (tonnes)955 9.14%
Source: Airports of Thailand[1]

Mae Fah Luang - Chiang Rai International Airport (IATA: CEI, ICAO: VTCT) is in Ban Du subdistrict, Mueang Chiang Rai district, Chiang Rai province in northern Thailand.[2] The airport is about 8 km from the city center. Since 1998, it has been managed by the Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT). In 2013, the airport handled over 1,000,000 passengers and 7,000 passenger flights.[3] The airport had international flight facilities and served a few international routes to Macau, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Kunming, Haikou, Hangzhou, Changsha, Xishuangbanna, Shenzhen, and Chengdu, all of which were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][5] Since travel restrictions were imposed in China, there have been no international commercial flights connecting Chiang Rai to the global market. Thus, the airport has been seeking other possible routes to connect to such as to South Korea.[6]

In 2014, Airports of Thailand (AOT) announced that they would expand Chiang Rai Airport. The plans include building an additional taxiway and more shops, and possibly extending the runway. This should be completed in 2030.[7]

Chiang Rai International Airport was named "Mae Fah Luang", after Princess Srinagarindra, mother of the previous monarch, Bhumibol Adulyadej, reigning under the dynastic name of Rama IX.

Expansion

Since the relaxation of COVID-19 travel restrictions, the airport is handling approximately 3,900 passengers per day.[6] However, there are still no international flights operating to the airport. Airports of Thailand has approved expansion plans for the airport to attract international carriers and improve the experience for passengers using the airport's facilities. This includes improvements to the airport's entrance and exit roads, the construction of a Maintenance Repair Operation centre (MRO) for aircraft maintenance, and the construction of a parallel taxiway.[8]

The construction of the aircraft maintenance facility is set to be completed by 31 July 2023. The facility will be able to service and repair large Airbus and Boeing aircraft from China. The airport will also become a cargo transportation hub for the northern region of Thailand.[6]

Statistics

Annual passenger traffic at CEI airport. See Wikidata query.

Traffic by calendar year

Comparison of passenger volume, aircraft movements and cargo volume at Mae Fah Luang - Chiang Rai International Airport, by year
Year Passengers Change from
previous year 		Movements Cargo
(tons) 		Notes
2003 417,345 – 3,710 4,238
2004 554,364 32.83% 4,879 4,879
2005 677,407 22.2% 4,927 5,070
2006 696,492 2.82% 5,659 4,753
2007 711,662 2.18% 6,232 2,919
2008 772,286 8.52% 6,734 2,527
2009 648,783 15.99% 5,546 2,287
2010 724,241 11.63% 5,714 2,626
2011 818,163 12.67% 5,819 4,306
2012 986,436 20.57% 7,138 4,755
2013 1,089,232 10.42% 7,181 4,440
2014 1,379,022 26.6% 10,985 3,556
2015 1,745,568 26.58% 13,402 4,491
2016 2,060,200 18.02% 14,590 4,719
2017 2,503,375 21.51% 17,661 4,288
2018 2,867,289 14.54% 20,072 3,531
2019 2,928,881 2.15% 20,128 2,535
2020 1,513,294 48.33% 12,126 963
2021 710,408 53.06% 6,131 586
2022 1,686,726 137.43% 11,920 920
2023 1,920,228 13.84% 12,485 875 [9]
2024 1,912,859 0.38% 12,449 955

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Nok Air Bangkok–Don Mueang
Thai AirAsia Bangkok–Don Mueang
Thai Airways International Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi
Thai Lion Air Bangkok–Don Mueang
Thai VietJet Air Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Phuket

Accidents and incidents

  • 30 July 2022: Nok Air Flight 108, a Boeing 737-800 (registered HS-DBR) from Bangkok Don Muang to Chiang Rai with 164 passengers and six crew, landed on Chiang Rai's runway 03 at 21:04L (14:04Z) but veered left off the runway and came to a stop all wheels off the paved runway. There were no injuries reported.[10] The airport was closed until the aircraft and foreign object debris (FOD) could be moved away from the runway.[11] The airport reopened and continued operations as normal six days later.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Air Transport Statistic". Airports of Thailand. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  2. ^ "Chiang Rai Airport". Google Maps. Retrieved 2015-01-23.
  3. ^ "2013 (Statistic Report 2013)". Airports of Thailand PLC (AOT). Archived from the original on 2014-12-07. Retrieved 2015-01-23.
  4. ^ ทีมข่าวHFLIGHT. "แอร์เอเชียเปิดฮับเชียงราย! พร้อมบินตรง 4 เส้นทางสู่ภูเก็ต มาเก๊า สิงคโปร์ กัวลาลัมเปอร์ - ข่าวสายการบิน & โปรโมชั่น - HFLIGHT.net ตั๋วเครื่องบิน/จองโรงแรม/ท่องเที่ยว". www.hflight.net. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  5. ^ "แอร์เอเชียเปิดเส้นทางบินเชียงราย บินตรงสู่ ภูเก็ต มาเก๊า สิงคโปร์ มาเลเซีย". 2018-12-21.
  6. ^ a b c "สนามบินเชียงรายเริ่มคึกคัก! เร่งทำถนน-ศูนย์ซ่อมรับอนาคต พร้อมชงเปิดบิน ตปท.แล้ว – เชียงรายโฟกัสดอทคอม สังคมออนไลน์ของคนเชียงราย" (in Thai). Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  7. ^ "ทอท.ทุ่ม 6 พันล้าน... ขยายสนามบิน "แม่ฟ้าหลวง"". 29 March 2018.
  8. ^ "ทอท.เทงบเกือบ 700 ล้าน ผุดทางคู่ขนานรันเวย์สนามบินเชียงราย-ศูนย์ซ่อมรับทุนจีนหลังโควิด". mgronline.com (in Thai). 2021-10-03. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  9. ^ "AOT traffic report" (PDF). 2024-07-10.
  10. ^ "Nok Air plane slides off runway in Chiang Rai, all flights cancelled". Bangkok Post. 31 July 2022.
  11. ^ leah (2022-08-04). "Chiang Rai Airport to stay closed until August 6 following Nok Air incident". Thaiger. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  12. ^ Boyle, Gary (5 August 2022). "Chiang Rai airport reopens". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2023-06-18.

Chiang Rai travel guide from Wikivoyage

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