Thailand: AoT sees sharp drop in traffic

The number of passengers passing through six airports operated by the Airports of Thailand dropped by 21m in the first seven months of this year, it said, with the IATA expecting the slump to persist through next year. The figures, which were released by the AoT on Monday, showed a huge decline in passenger numbers across its airports when compared to the previous year's figures. In total, 8.6m passengers passed through six international airports under its management, namely Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hat Yai and Phuket, between January and July this year -- down 71.5% compared to the same period last year. Out of the 8.6m figure, only 551,000 were passengers on international flights -- a 96% drop compared to the same period last year -- while the rest were domestic passengers. Don Mueang airport saw the most passengers this year with about 3m passing through its gates between January-July this year, representing a drop of about 67% from last year.<br/>