Thailand resort airports reopen as protesters leave - Travel Airport News

Airport news for Travel on 01/09/2008.

Arrange your travel plans by choosing from car hire, hotels, flights, airport parking and travel insurance using our form.

"We closed the airports to tell them we can do this on a much, much bigger scale if they don't listen to us," noted the leader of the anti-government protests, Sondhi Limthongkul.

Thailand’s Prime Minister was clearly upset by the blockades of the airports by the protesters. "The people who caused airports to close are causing damage to the tourism industry," he said emphatically. "They are smashing our rice bowl."

Airports of Thailand officials indicated that up to 15,000 passengers were stranded at the Phuket Airport, located on the Andaman island, a popular resort which is the jewel in the crown of Thailand’s tourist industry.

At the same time, several thousand more foreign visitors were unable to leave from the Krabi Airport, located in another southern resort area popular with foreign tourists.

"The airport resumed operations at about 11am," report Phuket International Airport’s director, Vicha Neunlop. Phuket is typically the second-busiest airport in the kingdom.

"Krabi airport resumed normal service since early Sunday morning. The first flight from Bangkok has landed. There are no protesters left since the morning," an airport official said.

More Airport News