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AVIATION
BOONSONG KOSITCHOTETHANA
Passenger traffic and flight movements through Thailand's six main airports shrank more than 11% in October, reflecting the downturn in the country's travel and tourism industry. Passenger flows through airports operated by Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) including Suvarnabhumi last month totalled 4.23 million, 11.29% lower than in the same period last year.
Flight movements fell 11.57% year-on-year to 29,365, while freight throughput slipped 9.56% to 107,129 tonnes, according to figures compiled by AoT.
But the rate of contraction in October was less steep than the 20% drop in passenger numbers seen in September, a four-year low, which was partly a response to the prevailing political unrest at the time.
The approach of high-season travel and lower ticket costs resulting from the reduction of fuel surcharges seemed to help arrest the contraction rate, industry analysts said.
Air traffic through Thailand has been facing a double whammy _ the slowdown in global travel demand triggered by worldwide economic recession and the deteriorating political standoff in Thailand.
Passenger traffic in September fell 20.2% year-on-year to 3.47 million while aircraft movements shrank 15.8% to 26,832 and cargo contracted 8.75% to 107,909 tonnes.
However, figures for cumulative January-October passenger traffic remained positive with 1.3% growth over the same period year to 47.20 million, though total flight movements fell 2.7% to 319,638 and freight rose 2.8% to 1.12 million tonnes.
The passenger traffic outlook through Thai airports in the coming months is cloudy as the recession deepens, and a further contraction in the last two months of the year cannot be ruled out.
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