Phuket Airport is one of Thailand's busiest airports, with over 3 million passengers a year, mainly tourists.
The airport is located about 32 kilometres from Phuket Town on the Northern end of the island, this is the first sight many tourists start with on their travels to Phuket.
The main terminal at Phuket airport can accommodate up to 10 flights an hour, so it can get quite busy at times.
If you do get caught with the crowds just go with the flow and fit into the Thai way of not being rushed.
From the early days of not having all the amenities available the airport of today is far more comfortable, even going as far as having Subway, Dunkin Donuts and Hungry Jacks available.
Arrivals
On your arrival you will go through the standard customs etc, before heading out to the main arrivals lounge, where you will find that last minute Duty Free shopping.
From here you will head out into the main passenger hall area where you will find Currency exchange, ATM's, information counters, etc.
If you are on a later flight and you are not comfortable using airport ATM's it may pay to get some currency exchanged from were you are departing from.
Once through these areas you will now be welcomed by your local transport options, pre arranged transfers, airport bus, limousines, local Taxi's or our favorite the Red and Yellow taxi's.
If you are backpacking there are buses that run from the airport into Phuket Town.
Personally we support and always use the yellow and red Taxi's that are located to your right as you walk out of the Departure hall.
The red and yellow taxi's are metered and will cost you around 500 baht including a 100 baht booking fee. The drivers of the metered taxi's will not try to take you to travel agents or try to sell you anything along the way.
However, if you choose to take one of the local Taxi's that are not metered beware that the driver's may side track you from your original path. We have more about this in our travel warnings page.
Departures
The Departure area is located on the second floor, with the car, taxi and bus drop off located out the front
When entering into the passenger hall you will find the check in counters, and upstairs you will find the lounges and ticket offices for the different airlines.
If your early you can always grab a coffee, Subway or some Dunkin Donut in the passenger hall area or Hungry Jacks outside.
If you have remembered to keep your VAT receipts you will be able to claim the VAT refund just before you head into the departure lounge area.
Departure Lounge
Once in the Departure lounge you will find the usual light refreshments, coffee shops, newsagents and Duty Free shops.
If your prepared to do some research you can find some cheap flights to Phuket with some budget airlines like Air Asia or Nokair that offer cheap Phuket flights, but more on that in our Travel Information page.
