Bangkok International Airport

Bangkok Don Muang International Airport (BKK)
Telephone: (02) 535 1111.
Web site: www.airportthai.co.th

Bangkok International Airport, is located 25km or 15miles north of the city centre and is operated by the Airports Authority of Thailand. It is a major gateway to South-East Asia and one of the region’s busiest airports catering for over 88 international carriers. Over 25 million passengers use the airport annually. The newer international terminal has somewhat relieved congestion and handles passengers efficiently. A second international airport – Suvarnabhumi Airport – is currently under construction at Nong Ngu Hao, to the southeast of Bangkok, which will be in operation by 2006.

Major airlines

Thai International (telephone: (02) 513 0121) is the national airline and Bangkok Airways (telephone: (02) 265 5555) operate domestic flights and a number of international routes in the region.

Other major airlines include: ANA, Air China, Air France, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Garuda Indonesia, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa, Malaysian Airlines, Northwest, Qantas, Qatar, SAS, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, and United Airlines.

Approximate flight times

To Bangkok from:

London 11 hours 35 minutes

New York 16 hours 55 minutes

Los Angeles 18 hours 50 minutes

Toronto 19 hours 50 minutes

Sydney 9 hours 25 minutes

Airport facilities

Include 24-hour shopping, duty free, tourist information desks, restaurants, snack bars, postal services, bureaux de change, hotel reservations, left-luggage and medical service. Car hire companies include Avis and Budget among others.

Business facilities

There is a business centre (telephone: (02) 535 3711, ext 44) at the airport, and executive lounges and services like limousine hire and rental of mobile phones.

Arrival/Departure tax

There is no arrival tax but a B500 (international) is payable in cash in local currency on departure. There is a tax of B50 on domestic flights but this is included in the price of the ticket.

Transport to the city

Taxis can be pre-paid for at the Arrivals Hall in the airport. Expect to pay B500–650 to the city centre (journey time can be 40–90 minutes) plus road tolls of B70 at the booths. Some pre-paid taxis include the toll charges. Ask when purchasing your ticket.

Airport buses (telephone: (02) 995 1252) run four different routes into the city every 30 minutes (0530–2430). Route A-1 goes to the Silom Road business district, A-2 operates to Sanam Luang (Royal Grand Palace), A-3 goes to Sukhumvit Road and A-4 goes to Hualampong Railway Station (approximate journey times are one hour; cost: B100+).

Bangkok Airport Express trains operate every 90 minutes (08:00–19:00) from the railway station adjacent to the airport (journey time about 35 minutes; fare: B100+). The tourist information booth in the Arrivals Hall has the schedule.