Don Mueang International Airport ( Thai : ท่าอากาศยานดอนเมือง, pronounced [ tʰâː.ʔāː.kàːt̚.sā.jāːn.dɔ̄ːn.mɯ̄a̯ŋ ] ( ), or colloquially as สนามบินดอนเมือง, pronounced [ sā.nǎːm.bīn.dɔ̄ːn.mɯ̄a̯ŋ ] ) ( IATA : DMK, ICAO : VTBD ) is one of two international airports serving the Bangkok Metropolitan Region, the other one being Suvarnabhumi Airport ( BKK ). Before Suvarnabhumi opened in 2006, Don Mueang was previously known as Bangkok International Airport. The airport is considered to be one of the populace ‘s oldest international airports and Asia ‘s oldest operate airport. [ 1 ] It was formally opened as a Royal Thai Air Force base on 27 March 1914, although it had been in use earlier. commercial flights began in 1924, making it one of the world ‘s oldest commercial airports. The first commercial flight was an arrival by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. [ 2 ]
In September 2006, Don Mueang Airport was closed and replaced by the newly opened Suvarnabhumi Airport, [ 3 ] before reopening on 24 March 2007 after renovations. Since the opening of the modern airport, it has become a regional commuter flight hub and the de facto low-cost airline hub. In 2015, it became the universe ‘s largest low monetary value carrier wave airport. [ 4 ] Don Mueang previously carried the BKK IATA code, which subsequently transferred to Suvarnabhumi, and was an important hub of Asia and the hub of Thai Airways International prior to its closure. At its bill, it served most [ clarification needed ] air dealings for the entire country, with 80 airlines operating 160,000 flights and handling over 38 million passengers and 700,000 tons of cargo in 2004. It was then the 14th busiest airport in the worldly concern and 2nd in Asia by passenger book. presently, Don Mueang is the main hub for Nok Air, Thai AirAsia and Thai Lion Air .
history [edit ]
early years [edit ]
FAA diagram “ Don Mueang ” airfield was the second established in Thailand, after Sa Pathum airfield, which is now Sa Pathum horse racing naturally, known as the Royal Bangkok Sports Club. The first flights to Don Mueang were made on 8 March 1914 and involved the transfer of aircraft of the Royal Thai Air Force. Three years earlier, Thailand had sent three army officers to France to train as pilots. On completion of their aim in 1911, the pilots were authorized to purchase eight aircraft, four Breguets and four Nieuports, which formed the basis of the Royal Thai Air Force. Sa Pathum airfield was established in February 1911 with an arrival by Orville Wright, seven years after the invention of the first airplane by the Wright brothers on 17 December 1903. [ 5 ] In 1933, the airfield was the scene of heavy fighting between royalists and government forces during the Boworadet Rebellion. The airfield was used by the occupying japanese during World War II, and was bombed and strafed by Allied aircraft on several occasions. After the war had finished in September 1945, the airfield was occupied by the RAF during the brief british occupation of Thailand until March 1946 when 211 Squadron, which moved there in October 1945, was disbanded. [ 6 ] During the Vietnam War, Don Mueang was a major command and logistics hub of the United States Air Force. [ citation needed ] Before the opening of Suvarnabhumi, the airport used the IATA airport code BKK and the name was spelled “ Don Muang ”. After Suvarnabhumi opened for commercial flights, the spelling was changed and as “ Don Mueang ” it now uses the airport code DMK, though it still retains the ICAO airport code VTBD. The traditional spell is still used by many airlines and by most Thais .
blockage [edit ]
The night of 27–28 September 2006 was the official end of operations at Don Mueang airport. The last commercial flights were :
- International departure: Although scheduled for Kuwait Airways KU414 to Kuwait at 02:50,[7] Qantas flight QF302 to Sydney, originally scheduled for 18:00, was delayed for more than nine hours before finally taking off at 03:12, about ten minutes after the Kuwait flight. Qantas claimed that QF302 was an extra flight.[8]
- International arrival: Kuwait Airways from Jakarta at 01:30[9]
- Domestic departure: Thai Airways TG124 to Chiang Mai at 22:15 (coincidentally, when Thai moved domestic operations back to Don Mueang again on 28 March 2009, their last departure was also a 22:15 flight to Chiang Mai)
- Domestic arrival: TG216 from Phuket at 23:00
Reopening [edit ]
aeriform photograph of DMK at Night commercial carriers deserted Don Mueang at the opening of Suvarnabhumi Airport. But the higher operate costs of the new airport and safety concerns over cracked runways at the newfangled airport caused many to seek a return to Don Mueang. Low-cost airlines led demands for a reopen of the airport. Airports of Thailand released a report at the end of 2006 which furthered this campaign. The report proposed reopening DMK as a way to avoid or delay second-stage expansion which had been planned for Suvarnabhumi. [ 10 ] On 30 January 2007, the Ministry of Transport recommended temporarily reopening Don Mueang while equal up work proceeded on some taxiways at Suvarnabhumi. [ 11 ] The recommendation was subject to approval by the Thai cabinet. On 25 March 2007, the airport officially reopened for some domestic flights. Because of the 2011 Thailand floods that affected Bangkok and other parts of Thailand, the airport was closed as flood waters flowed onto the runways and affected the light up. [ 12 ] [ 13 ] Don Mueang reopened on 6 March 2012. On 16 March 2012, the Government of Thailand and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra ordered all low-cost, chartered, and non-connecting flights to relocate to Don Mueang. This ended the single-airport policy. [ 14 ] Airports of Thailand was ordered to encourage low-cost carriers to shift to Don Mueang to help ease congestion at Suvarnabhumi Airport. [ 15 ] [ 16 ] Suvarnabhumi airport was designed to handle 45 million passengers per year, [ 15 ] but it processed 48 million in 2011 and the number was expected to reach 53 million in 2012. Some ten airlines may relocate to Don Mueang. Budget airline Nok Air is already serving flights from and to Don Mueang. Nok Air handles about four million passengers per year. Orient Thai Airlines and Thai AirAsia have besides started operations at Don Mueang. Thai AirAsia carried 7.2 million passengers in 2011. The total is projected to grow to eight million in 2012. [ 17 ]
expansion [edit ]
presently, Terminal 1 is adequate to of handling 18.5 million passengers annually. [ 18 ] On 7 September 2013, Airports of Thailand announced its three billion baht renovation to reopen Terminal 2 american samoa early as May 2014. Terminal 1 ‘s passengers in 2013 will probable reach 16 million against its capacity of 18.5 million. completion of Terminal 2 in December 2015 increases Don Mueang ‘s passenger capacity to 30 million a year. [ 19 ] The third phase of Don Mueang ‘s 38 billion baht expansion will be completed sometime in the future. [ 20 ] It aims to increase the airport ‘s passenger capacity to 48 million per year. The newfangled 155,000 m2 ( 1,670,000 sq foot ) international Terminal 3 will accommodate 18 million passengers a class by 2022. [ 20 ]
Terminals [edit ]
Don Mueang International Airport has three terminals. Terminal 1 is used for external flights and Terminal 2 for domestic flights. The open of Terminal 2 has raised the airport ‘s capacitance to 30 million passengers per year. [ 21 ] Terminal 3, the old domestic terminal, is not in function anymore. In a third base phase of airport expansion, a newly Terminal 3 is in the planning stages as of 2019, with construction projected to begin erstwhile between 2020–2025. The raw terminal will have a capacity of 18 million passengers annual. As part of the 39 billion baht undertaking, Terminals 1 and 2 will be upgraded to handle 22 million domestic passengers per annum, raising overall airport capacity from 30 to 40 million annually. [ 22 ]
Airlines and destinations [edit ]
current [edit ]
Former Airlines and Destinations [edit ]
Before Suvarnabhumi Airport opened on September 2006, early major airlines including Thai Airways operated back in 1980s .
traffic statistics [edit ]
In 2019, the airport reached its full moon capacity of 52 flights per hour, or about 700–800 flights per day. By the conclusion of 2019, it is expected to top its maximum passenger handling capability of 40 million. Airport coach AoT forecasts 41 million passengers in 2020 and 45 million by 2023. The airport was designed to serve a utmost of 30 million passengers per annum. Building extra runways is not potential. AoT is encouraging airlines to use widebody aircraft aircraft at Don Mueang to increase passenger loads from 100–200 passengers to about 300 per aircraft. [ 22 ]
passenger figures [edit ]
Thai Airways aircraft at the airport before their relocation to Suvarnabhumi Airport
Roads and bridges in front of the domestic terminal
Arrival Corridor in Domestic Arrival
concluding 2 of Don Muang International Airport
Read more: สรุปเหรียญโอลิมปิกฤดูร้อน 2016 – วิกิพีเดีย
end 2 in 2016 total passenger traffic through Don Mueang jumped 40.7 percentage to 30.3 million in 2015, with international numbers rising 53.1 percentage to 9.17 million and domestic passengers increasing 35.9 percentage to 21.1 million. aircraft movements rose by 29.8 percentage to 224,074, including 158,804 domestic ( up 26.2 percentage ) and 65,270 international ( up 39.3 percentage ). [ 40 ]
| Calendar year | Passengers | Change from the previous | Movements | Cargo (tons) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 5,043,235 | – | – | – |
| 2009 | 2,466,997 |  051.1% |
– | – |
| 2010 | 2,999,867 |  021.6% |
– | – |
| 2011 | 3,424,915 | 014.2% |
51,301 | – |
| 2012 | 5,983,141 | 074.7% |
65,120 | 7,329 |
| 2013 | 16,479,227 | 0472.70% |
154,827 | 25,657 |
| 2014 | 21,546,568 | 030.75% |
172,681 | 29,086 |
| 2015 | 30,304,183 | 029.76% |
224,074 | 45,488 |
| 2016[41] | 35,203,757 | 016.17% |
244,296 | 67,884 |
| 2017 | 38,299,757 | 08.8% |
256,760 | 67,777 |
| 2018 | 40,758,148 | 06.4% |
272,361 | 55,250 |
| 2019 | 41,313,439 | 01.36% |
272,363 | 43,586 |
| Source: Airports of Thailand | ||||
Bangkok Don Mueang Airport Passenger Totals. See source Wikidata question
| Year | Domestic | International | Total | Change% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 5,043,235 | 5,043,235 | 0.46
|
|
| 2009 | 2,466,997 | 2,466,997 | 51.1%
|
|
| 2010 | 2,999,867 | 2,999,867 | 21.6%
|
|
| 2011 | 3,424,915 | 3,424,915 | 14.2%
|
|
| 2012 | 5,983,141 | 74.7%
|
||
| 2013 | 11,190,783 | 5,288,444 | 16,479,227 | 472.70%
|
| 2014 | 15,556,627 | 5,989,941 | 21,546,568 | 30.75%
|
| 2015 | 21,133,502 | 9,170,681 | 30,304,183 | 29.76%
|
| 2016[41] | 23,323,457 | 11,880,300 | 35,203,757 | 16.17%
|
| 2017 | 23,942,371 | 14,357,386 | 38,299,757 | 8.8%
|
| 2018 | 24,779,256 | 15,978,892 | 40,758,148 | 6.4%
|
| 2019 | 23,456,123 | 17,857,316 | 41,33,439 | 1.36%
|
Busiest domestic routes 2019 [edit ]
Busiest international routes 2019 [edit ]
other facilities [edit ]
- The following companies have head offices on the airport property: Siam Air[43] and R Airlines[44]
- Don Mueang International Airport is a joint-use facility, shared with the Royal Thai Air Force’s (RTAF) Don Muang Royal Thai Air Force Base, and is the home of the RTAF 1st Air Division, which consists primarily of non-combat aircraft.
- A RTAF golf course is located between the two runways. The course has no separation from the runway, and golfers are held back by a red light whenever planes land.
Accidents and incidents [edit ]
ground transportation system [edit ]
Bus station at Don Mueang Airport in 2019
remove to/from Suvarnabhumi Airport [edit ]
Don Mueang International Airport is approximately 1–1.5 hours from Suvarnabhumi Airport by train or bus. There are besides direct buses between the airports operated by Airport Shuttle Bus .
road [edit ]
The airport has two main access routes. Among these the most convenient route is via the Don Mueang Tollway. Another main airport entrance is Vibhavadi Rangsit Road. Four bus routes service the airport, route A1 runs between the airport and Bangkok Bus Terminal ( Chatuchak ), route A2 runs between the airport and Victory Monument, road A3 runs between the airport and Lumphini Park, and route A4 runs between the airport and Khaosan Road. [ 46 ]
fulminate [edit ]
Don Mueang International Airport is served by the SRT Dark Red Line at Don Mueang railroad track station that connects with Bang Sue Grand Station, it publicly opened in November 2021.
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AOT plans to build a three-kilometre monorail to link the airport with the BTS Green Line. approval of the three billion baht project is expected by the end of 2020. [ 22 ]