Koh Phangan Airport

The Koh Phangan Airport has been under construction since 2012.

It is being built by a domestic Thai airline called Kan Air, who wish to start flights that will connect the island to Koh Tao, Koh Samui, and other neighbouring destinations.

Koh Phangan Airport, Construction & IATA Code, Surat Thani, Thailand

Although the airport was initially scheduled to be completed by September 2014, construction was stopped in 2015 when authorities found out that the airport overstepped on the part of the valuable Than Sadet Ko Phangan National Park. But by 2016, Kan Air said that they were looking for an additional 1.5 billion baht in capital for the completion of the airport.

In 2015, the runway area was flattened and cleared of trees. The architectural plan was already approved, but no further construction has been done since then. Reports say that the airport developer has already spent close to 2 billion baht on unfinished works. Additionally, construction works were terminated due to the illegal encroachment of the national park.

The Koh Phangan Airport was designed to cater to a 600,000 passenger capacity annually. It would feature a runway that is 1,100 meters long and a terminal with a thatched roof. The location is on the island’s eastern side.

Other operators would be welcome to land here, and it would have the same landing and parking fees as Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Should the airport be completed, it will be the very first time that passengers would have direct access to Koh Phangan. Currently, travellers are required to fly to the Koh Samui Airport, the nearest one at the moment. Otherwise, the other ways of getting to Koh Phangan would require travelling by train or by bus, which takes up a lot of time but it’s much cheaper than taking a direct flight.