Phuket Airport

There is also a bus service between Phuket Airport and Phuket Town but nobody really knows when and where the bus is leaving from Phuket Airport and where to find the bus in Phuket Town.

There is no Phuket Airport hotel, which actually wont matter anyway since in the vicinity are plenty of Phuket hotels and Phuket Beach resorts. There are counters at the arrival hall for Phuket hotel and Phuket Beach Resort information, if you book a Phuket hotel or Phuket Beach Resort at the Phuket Airport be aware that they take commission by asking you for a relatively high price and they get the commission every day you stay in a particular Phuket hotel and Phuket Beach Resort. A way to work around is to book for one night only, check out from the Phuket Hotel or Phuket Beach Resort the next day, negotiate a new and lower price and check in again.

Phuket Car Rental

There are several car rental company counter at the Phuket airport arrival hall, those are usually the international car rental companies like avis, herz etc.

For car rental at Phuket Island the best is to contact Pure Car Rental, they are located in Phuket Town and will pick you up at Phuket Airport and bring you back to Phuket Airport.
They have excellent new cars, are very friendly and know what they are doing. A family business for many years, they also have a excellent reputation and VERY important, their prices are around half what the big international guys are charging, for the same service. All cars are fully insure via a "first class insurance".

The airport can handle 24 flight operations per hour, its open 24 hours. The Runway is 3,000 m long and 45 m wide
 

Baht 5bn upgrade for Phuket Airport, May 29. 08

Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) is preparing to invest five billion baht to expand Phuket International Airport where congestion is approaching a critical level.

The expansion will raise the capacity of the country's second busiest airport to 11.5 million passengers a year, six million international and 5.5 million domestic, from the current annual limit of 6.5 million, once completed in 2010.

The plan involves a new international passenger terminal, the upgrade of the domestic terminal, construction of additional taxiways and parking space for 11 more aircraft, up from eight currently.

However, the airport's single 3,000- metre runway will not be extended, according to Phuket airport general manager Wicha Nernlop.

Passenger throughput in Phuket last year (2007) reached 5.47 million, 22.6% higher than in the previous year, while aircraft movements rose 32.3% to 38,386.

If you are hungry use this restaurant pictured above, it is upstairs, the food is excellent and not expensive. Avoid the fast food counter opposite to the check in counter, there the food is lousy, the employees totally ignorant and funny, just the stuff what you want to order is not available today.

Inside the domestic departure area is also a fast food restaurant from Burger King, their food is also quite good, at least they serve real hamburger, about 10 mm thick. Not this flat junk like you get at Macdonald's downtown where the hamburger is 3 mm thick, actually looks like a small size tortilla between some bread.

This year, AoT projects a 9.5% rise in passenger throughput to six million, with aircraft traffic, both take-offs and landings, increasing 7% to 41,000. Between March and October, Phuket Airport serves 27 scheduled airlines and 11 charter flight operators, with average daily plane movements of 120.

Congestion at the airport, especially during the high season from late October to April, has been a subject of complaints by international tourists, mostly from Europe, who flock to the southern resort island.

TUI Nordic, a leading Scandinavian tour operator, has said that its guests had to spend one hour or more to go through airport procedures

during the last winter season, adding that crowding had become more critical since 2006.Phuket tourism industry executives have also warned that airport congestion would spoil the first impression of the island as one of the region's prime holiday destinations.

Mr Wicha said traffic through the airport would continue to rise and it would be further expanded so that it could eventually handle 15 million passengers a year, the volume expected in 2020.

A budget for the current expansion has been allocated and design work was under way, he noted.

He added that actual construction was expected to begin in 2010.

Majority state-owned AoT operates the country's six key airports.

Its shares closed yesterday on the Stock Exchange of Thailand at 56 baht, up 50 satang, in trade worth 74.3 million baht.
By BOONSONG KOSITCHOTETHANA from Bangkok Post, May 29. 08

Actually this congestion problems are nothing new, they are on since the new Phuket Airport has opened. One jumbo is enough to let the arriving passengers waiting at immigration for a hour or more.