Hua Hin Airport
Hua Hin Airport
Just pure curiosity. Why did it close? Any prospect of it re-opening?
hua hin airport
Not enough business I presume, Bangkok Airways were rediculously expensive so nobody flew with them.
Hope it will re-open and the new budget airline, Air Asia flys from here.
Hope it will re-open and the new budget airline, Air Asia flys from here.
The price and reliability of flights between HH and BKK/ KohSamui/Krabi/Phuket etc need to be competitive to attract custom. If time is not of the essence, there are many cheaper options. Mind you, by the time you checked in at BKK for HH and actually made the flight, you would just about be there in a fast taxi.... Different for the further destinations listed above.
If it was opened, I would use HH as a base to explore many new places. See travellers' tales of problems with the so-called VIP buses.......
If it was opened, I would use HH as a base to explore many new places. See travellers' tales of problems with the so-called VIP buses.......
HH airport
Thats exactly what i want to find out- Will HH airport open again for domestic or any other flights? Does anyone know? If it will be opened again, WHERE will it fly to? 
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thailooper
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Many stories going around as to why airport "closed". The bottom line is it was closed by the King. Singapore Airlines had agreed to fly into Hua Hin with international flights - Bankok Air then decided to pull out and did - then King said he didn't want airport becoming too busy / commercialised and stopped Singapore Airlines, leaving nobody to fly into HH !! King also didn't like the noise which was disturbing his guests.
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SHADOW
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The airport closed for the simple reason nobody used it, Bangkok air stopped discounting the ticket price which made it cheaper to go by taxi.
Anderman air looked at starting flights but did not for the same reason.
H H airport can't take international fights, the runway is too short it needs to be at least a thousand metres longer it has no I L S system or ground control, oh and somebody forgot to put the fuel depot in so you can't refuel
Anderman air looked at starting flights but did not for the same reason.
H H airport can't take international fights, the runway is too short it needs to be at least a thousand metres longer it has no I L S system or ground control, oh and somebody forgot to put the fuel depot in so you can't refuel
HH airport
Pity. Sounds to me like the airport will NOT open again, then. Not for the forseeable future anyway. It WOULD have been quite handy for some easy travel, but now will have to go to Bangers for all that. 
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CliveNixon
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Its an interesting subject this is. The main problem with the Airport at HH always seemed that it was just too close to bangers to be of any real commercial value. The same debates would always rage about U Tapao in Pattaya expat circles and when they had the Patters-PP and Patters- Samui routes running we then believed that it was only a matter of time until we had a good link with the rest of Thailand and Southeast Asia but alas it was not to be.
As Shadow said the fact that one could go by taxi to HH from BKK for less than a flight ticket was the eventual killer especially as it was with U tapao because you still had a 30 minute ride into town. The bottom line here is that if theres no profitable air link with BKK these airports in the central area of Thailand will never flourish.
Its one thing splashing out a bit for a flight if the alternative is a 12 hr + road or rail trip but no one is going to splash out on a short flight when they could go by bus for a lot less and only use a few hours more.
One interesting airport to watch will be the one in Trat which at 5-6 hrs by road from bangers is probably just far away enough to encourage people to fly if they want to save time.
At the end of the day its about comercial viability. The thing for the Airlines to consider is could they run a profitable service. What would people pay to be in Bangers within an hour? They have to be convinced that any service they put on will be used and profitable and thats where it comes down to making your voices heard.
You could try petitioning the BKK Airways office, or better still one of the new no frills airlines, that a BKK - HH service would be used as long as the price was right. At the end of the day, if you want your local airport to be used then its up to the local community, both Thais and Expats, to rally around and convince the Airlines.
As Shadow said the fact that one could go by taxi to HH from BKK for less than a flight ticket was the eventual killer especially as it was with U tapao because you still had a 30 minute ride into town. The bottom line here is that if theres no profitable air link with BKK these airports in the central area of Thailand will never flourish.
Its one thing splashing out a bit for a flight if the alternative is a 12 hr + road or rail trip but no one is going to splash out on a short flight when they could go by bus for a lot less and only use a few hours more.
One interesting airport to watch will be the one in Trat which at 5-6 hrs by road from bangers is probably just far away enough to encourage people to fly if they want to save time.
At the end of the day its about comercial viability. The thing for the Airlines to consider is could they run a profitable service. What would people pay to be in Bangers within an hour? They have to be convinced that any service they put on will be used and profitable and thats where it comes down to making your voices heard.
You could try petitioning the BKK Airways office, or better still one of the new no frills airlines, that a BKK - HH service would be used as long as the price was right. At the end of the day, if you want your local airport to be used then its up to the local community, both Thais and Expats, to rally around and convince the Airlines.
HH airport
I agree with what Clive Nixon says- and i think its all true. But purely personally, i'm NOT interested in flying to Bangers but much more interested in places like Samui, Singapore, Penang, Macau etc. So the awful detour to Bangers to catch a flight is a pain! It would be very nice for me is Asia Air would operate from here.
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CliveNixon
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The trouble with your scenario Techman is that how many people could you see filling those return seats if BKK was not on their route?
Even if the planes went on to, or originated in BKK; there is not much chance that people would take a flight via HH over a direct flight unless it was an Asia Air type company at a much lower rate, and even an Asia Air type of company wouldn't fly too many empty seats on any route, even a HH BKK route, for too long.
Even if the planes went on to, or originated in BKK; there is not much chance that people would take a flight via HH over a direct flight unless it was an Asia Air type company at a much lower rate, and even an Asia Air type of company wouldn't fly too many empty seats on any route, even a HH BKK route, for too long.
Having flown into and out of HH airport a year and a half ago, from/to BKK, I have to acknowledge that a BKK/HH service must commercially be marginal when it's so easy/quick to get a decent taxi (c2 hrs 2000 baht). Considering that you have to check-in either end about an hour before your flight departure time, you could be half way to your destination....... and the taxi service is door to door !
I am however, intrigued to know if anyone operates a private charter-flight (fixed-wing or helicopter)service from HH. Eg to Koh Samui, Krabi, Phukkers etc. It would probably be an excessively expensive option compared with the VIP bus and ferry, but when you've flown half-way round the world to be here for a week or two, every day is at a premium and there is at least some justification for paying a premium price for such a service. Of course, not everyone would be inclined, or indeed could afford such extravagance, but there's always someone willing to pay extra for a better service. Within reason, I might !
All information is useful.
Philip
I am however, intrigued to know if anyone operates a private charter-flight (fixed-wing or helicopter)service from HH. Eg to Koh Samui, Krabi, Phukkers etc. It would probably be an excessively expensive option compared with the VIP bus and ferry, but when you've flown half-way round the world to be here for a week or two, every day is at a premium and there is at least some justification for paying a premium price for such a service. Of course, not everyone would be inclined, or indeed could afford such extravagance, but there's always someone willing to pay extra for a better service. Within reason, I might !
All information is useful.
Philip
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CliveNixon
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"within reason"........ 
Need a few chums to share the cost of that one then !! One might think that even a once or twice-weekly HH to Krabi/Phuket/Koh Samui shuttle-hopper would be worth running, even just a small plane. Better to run a smaller aircraft full than a large aeroplane half-empty.
Cheers Clive, just a thought
Need a few chums to share the cost of that one then !! One might think that even a once or twice-weekly HH to Krabi/Phuket/Koh Samui shuttle-hopper would be worth running, even just a small plane. Better to run a smaller aircraft full than a large aeroplane half-empty.
Cheers Clive, just a thought