Nakhon Ratchasima Airport to resume flights after three years of shutdown
Low-cost airline NokAir has applied to start operating domestic flights to and from Nakhon Ratchasima Airport, which has been shut since 2019, a source said.
Some 26 kilometres from downtown Nakhon Ratchasima, the airport first opened on December 5, 1997, to serve the domestic market. However, after years of running at a loss due to low passenger load, the airport was closed. During all of 2019, the airport had only served 39 passengers.
Nakhon Ratchasima Airport is located within the Nong Teng - Jakkarat Forest Park with a total area of 4,625 rai (740 hectares).
“NokAir will operate seven flights a week between Nakhon Ratchasima and Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Phuket,” the source said. “The airline expects to start providing the flights by the second and third quarter of this year. It also plans to add six airplanes to its domestic fleet within 2022.”
The source added that before the closure, many airlines flew in and out of Nakhon Ratchasima Airport but had to cancel flights due to an underwhelming response. The airlines included Thai Airways, Air Andaman, AirAsia, Air Phoenix, Happy Air, Thai Regional Airlines, Kan Air, and New Gen Airways.
“There are two reasons behind the unsuccessful operation of the airport, first is that some airlines could not apply for flight permits from Nakhon Ratchasima Airport, and the second is the low number of passengers, forcing airlines to cut loss and stop their flights,” added the source.