Passenger traffic through Thailand's gateway Suvarnabhumi airport is expected to register strong growth in the current high season.
Airports of Thailand Plc expects passengers passing through the airport serving Bangkok between Oct 30 and March 25 next year to leap 26.4% year-on-year to a daily average of 173,523.
Those volumes in the period, classified as winter season by airlines, are in line with a 9.5% increase in flight frequencies booked by airlines in the period -- a total of 141,855 or a daily average of 965.
Suvarnabhumi general manager Sirote Duangratana said yesterday the traffic figures are based on airlines' slot bookings which detail frequencies and seating capacities of the aircraft type they deploy.
The numbers appear to diminish a slowdown in Chinese tourist arrivals resulting from the crackdown on inbound Chinese tour scams that has so far reduced the inflow from China by some 40%.
Thai officials hope the inbound Chinese tourist flows will return to normal during the Lunar New Year, which begins in late January, as the so-called zero-dollar scams are put to rest.
Mr Sirote said three Russian carriers -- Nordwind Airlines, Rossiya Airlines and Vim Airlines -- have converted their Suvarnabhumi operating status from a charter basis to scheduled for the winter season.
Meanwhile, three carriers -- Lucky Air of China, Flydubai of the United Arab Emirates and US-Bangla Airlines of Bangladesh -- are newcomers to Suvarnabhumi. The winter season saw two airlines, Delta Airlines of the US and Raya Airways of Malaysia, cease operations there.
As a result, Suvarnabhumi now hosts 135 airlines, comprising 102 operating scheduled flights for passengers and cargo, nine scheduled cargo service operators and 24 operating on code-share agreements.