At a distance of 40 kilometers from Pattaya there is a very small but cozy Utapao airport, which has official international status. The building is located almost on the route of the federal highway called Sukhumvit Road. The distance to the state capital is decent - about 140 kilometers. The low intensity of passenger traffic at the airport is due to its location in the first air wing of the royal troops.

Official name airport in Pattaya U-Tapao International. To track arrivals and departures, you can use a special online scoreboard. Thanks to it, you can see the flights being carried out in real time and will always know exact time arrivals and departures. Below I placed such a board.

Airport map

The airport is located in close proximity to the popular and beautiful tourist place Thailand - Sattahip Beach. Views from coastline beaches are distinguished by their extraordinary and bewitching beauty.

The airport occupies only one floor and has one passenger terminal and a capacity of no more than 400 people.

Utapao Airport in Pattaya includes the following units:

1. Two departure zones and one arrival zone.
2. Departure lounge and arrival hall.
3. Reseption.
4. Luggage storage.
5. Airport collection area.
6. Information desk for passengers and greeters.
7. Toilets in the waiting and arrival halls.
8. Medical Center.
9. An area with small shops.
10. Catering area, ATMs and currency exchange.

All airports in the world that meet international standards require a retail outlet in the building. Duty Free. At Utapao Airport it is located between the arrival and departure areas of passengers.

Tourists can use additional services, which are provided in the airport building itself - a free wi-fi zone throughout Utapao, a travel agency, selection and booking of hotels and transfers. Personal car rental is also available, and on the street you can take advantage of offers from local taxi drivers.

Arrivals area

The arrival area at Utapao Airport is small. Upon arrival, all passengers go through passport control and receive their luggage. Lost luggage often occurs; in this case, lost items counters are located in the arrivals area. If the passenger could not find his luggage, then special service employees will help to correctly fill out a receipt for lost luggage.

Such force majeure events are not uncommon at the airport, so the search service works very quickly. Usually, things are returned to the passenger no later than 1-2 days after arrival in Thailand. I myself once encountered such a situation; my suitcase was found 2 days later and brought straight to my hotel.

Departure area

The departure area is almost 2 times larger than the arrival area. At the entrance to the departure area there is organized Big hall for registration, meeting international standards, for example, metal detector frames. In the departure area there is a large online board with up-to-date information on all flights for the near future.

In the departure area there is a special reception desk that handles VAT refunds. It is located under the Vat Refund sign. Not far from this counter, airport staff weigh luggage and pack it for the flight.

How to exchange and withdraw money?

There are ATMs and a currency exchange office in the passenger arrivals hall. All ATMs in Thailand are similar in appearance to Russian ones; ATM is written on them. Please note that Thai ATMs charge a fixed fee (180-200 baht) for cash withdrawals. Cash withdrawal limits are usually set at 20-30 thousand baht.

All international airports are equipped with currency exchange offices. The higher the denomination of the dollar currency, the more favorable the exchange rate. But in the airport building and hotels the exchange rate is often the most unfavorable, so it is better to change large amounts in the city.

How to get to Pattaya?

Most often, taxis and transfers travel only to two resort towns - Pattaya and Rayong. It is also possible to get to any place without reaching these two resorts. The cost of the transfer is almost 2 times lower due to the inclusion of more people for one trip (usually the number of people in a minibus is from 6 to 12).

There are several ways to get from Utapao Airport to the cities of Pattaya and Rayong:

• Taxi;
• rented car;
• hotel transfer;
• minibass

The distance from the airport to Rayong is just over 30 kilometers, and to Pattaya - almost 40 kilometers. Therefore, the cost of taxis and transfers is quite high. If you use the services of local taxi drivers, they will charge you a fee of 1000 baht.

You can rent a car with the help of transport companies, small branches of which are located in the form of racks in several parts of the passenger arrivals area at Utapao airport. The average cost of a car per day is about 850 baht.

Regular airport transfers are minibuses similar to large ones minibuses.

The most popular and inexpensive way to get from the airport to Pattaya is to use early booking transfer on the website.

Travel agencies immediately arrange a transfer when booking a trip, the price of which already includes transportation to the desired resort from the airport.

See the map for the exact location of Utapao Airport.

Many tourists who have vacationed within the Pattaya resort more than once still have no idea that there is an international airport nearby. The cost of direct charter flights from Utapao is significantly lower compared to offers from the capital's Suvurnabhumi Airport.

Few tourists have ever flown to Utapao, Pattaya airport. And all because Utapao, an airport not only for commercial, but also for military purposes, receives 10 times fewer tourists per year than Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. Over the next two months, the situation will change; all charters, including charters to Thailand from Russia, will be sent to UTapao airport.

Utapao Pattaya Airport – a little information

Utapao Airport Pattaya

UTapao International Airport is the airport where the Thai Air Force is based, and commercial flights also arrive here. In total, 17 airlines cooperate with Utapao Airport.

The passenger terminal area is more than 2.5 thousand square meters and Utapao Airport has everything a tourist might need on a trip - Vat Refund, Duty Free, cafes, Internet cafes, souvenirs and shops.
Utapao, however, is a small airport without any frills. Although Pattaya is only 40 km away from here, getting from Utapao to Pattaya is not as easy as we would like.
There is no public transport from Utapao to Pattaya.

Utapao Airport mainly serves domestic flights within Thailand. The Kingdom of Smiles promotes and encourages domestic tourism in every possible way. There are many subsidies for airlines to
to popularize the resorts of Thailand among local residents.

The peak of the tourist flow in Utapao occurs in winter, when Thailand has the so-called high season. In summer there are much fewer flights at Pattaya Airport.
Utapao Airport is 40 km from Pattaya and 150 km from Bangkok.

In the coming years, the construction of a new passenger terminal, new runways, and reconstruction are planned at U-Tapao Airport.

ALL charter flights to Bangkok are being transferred to U-Tapao and Don Mueang airports

Many have already heard the news that absolutely everything charter flights who are in Bangkok between March 3 and May 2 are transferred from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Pattaya-Utapao airport.

This is due to the reconstruction of one of the Suvarnabhumi runways, the load on which is already very heavy. Suvarnabhumi Airport last years operates at the peak of its capacity and receives tourists 15-20% more than it is capable of.

ALL charter flights flying to Bangkok will be operated in full, the Russian Ministry of Tourism has assured. It’s just that all flights of charter companies will be sent to Pattaya, to Utapao instead of Bangkok.

Who will this affect first?

Those who have chosen tours from the Tour Operator “Coral Travel”, as well as “Pegas Touristik”, and a few more Russian tour operators, which regularly send charter flights with tourists to Thailand.
These are like this Russian airlines– Icarus, Nord Wind, Azur Air and others.

Absolutely all charters of these companies will be sent either to U-Tapao or to Don Mueang airport in Bangkok.

Tour operators surveyed by news agencies reported that the vast majority of tourists traveling to Bangkok fly to Pattaya on vacation, so those who happen to fly between March and May 2017
in Utapao, even lucky. After all, it is much closer and more convenient to get to the resort from here.

The travel time from Pattaya Airport (U-Tapao) by taxi to the center of Pattaya will be no more than an hour, while a bus with tourists from Bangkok Airport takes at least two hours.

Regular flights to Bangkok from March to May will continue to arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The frequency and order of flights will remain unchanged.

It is worth recalling that the repair of the runway in Suvarnabhum will also affect the celebration of the Thai New Year "Songkran", which takes place in April. And for Songkran, not only foreign but also local tourists usually fly to Bangkok, which increases the load on the airport and will certainly affect air traffic.

It is expected that work to improve Suvarnabhumi Airport will be completed by 2019, after which the capacity of the country's main airport will increase from 45 million passengers to 65 million passengers per year.

How to get from U-Tapao Airport to Pattaya – All options

As I mentioned above, there is no public transport from Utapao Airport to Pattaya. There are two ways to get to the city. Upon arrival, buy a seat in a minibus for 250 baht or order a taxi transfer to your hotel.

Upon arrival, you will be greeted in Utapao with signs offering a minibus transfer. This method is good for those who save money and travel alone.
There are several disadvantages. If you arrive in U-Tapao at night or early in the morning, minibuses may not yet operate.
During the day it all depends on how busy it is. Sometimes you need to wait for a seat in a minibus for several hours, since there are many people who want to get to Pattaya, and there is not enough space for everyone in the next few hours.
It’s quite sad to wait in Utapao, since there isn’t even a proper food court, unlike Suvarnabhum.

The taxi option is suitable for large companies, families with children who, after a 9-hour flight, do not have the opportunity or desire to be at the airport, waiting to be taken to the hotel.
To get to Pattaya inexpensively, with comfort, air conditioning and without unnecessary people around, it is more profitable to book a taxi.

The taxi driver will meet you with a sign with your name on it and drive you to Pattaya in less than an hour.

The cost of a taxi to Pattaya from U-Tapao depends on the number of passengers and luggage.

The price for a taxi is already finite, we have used the services many times Kiwi Taxi in Thailand and were satisfied with the prices, clean cars, punctual drivers and the availability of a child seat.

Another plus is that you don’t need to pay the full cost of the trip; when booking, only a small part is paid, which is returned if you change your mind at least 24 hours in advance.
Pay the driver in cash for the fare; if you don’t have baht, just ask to stop and exchange rubles for baht or withdraw money from an ATM.

How to return tax free in U-Tapao.

If you love shopping and make some large purchases in Pattaya or Bangkok, apply at the Vat Refund store. That is, tax free refund. This is beneficial if purchases in Thailand exceed 2000,
or better yet 10,000 baht.

If you are flying from Pattaya Utapao Airport and want to return the tax free fee, then after passport control you must contact a Vat Refund employee presenting all the necessary receipts and forms, and also have with you the goods that you bought for this amount.

How to save money on a hotel or apartment on vacation?

I'm looking on the Rumguru website. It contains absolutely all discounts on hotels and apartments from 30 booking systems, including booking. I often find very profitable options, I can save from 30 to 80%

How to save on insurance?

Insurance abroad is required. Any appointment is very expensive and the only way to avoid paying out of pocket is to choose an insurance policy in advance. We have been registering on the website for many years, which give the best prices insurance and selection along with registration takes only a couple of minutes.

But Bangkok occupies the attention of travelers for only one to three days. Most tourists flock to the south of the country or island - to snow-white beaches Thailand. The resort of Pattaya is also popular. This city is located on the coast just one hundred and fifty kilometers from Bangkok. Many tourists, without hesitation, transfer to Suvarnabhumi by ground transport- a bus that will take them to Pattaya in three hours. Others travel to Bangkok and take a train to the seaside resort. But there are also tourists who wonder if there is an airport in Pattaya. Let us immediately satisfy their serious curiosity - yes, there is. And we will talk about it in this article. Perhaps the information below will allow you to plot the optimal route to the resorts east coast Gulf of Thailand.

The past and future of Pattaya Airport

During the Vietnam War, the Americans built an air base in this place. At the end of the twentieth century, when the controversial fame of the Pattaya resort began to thunder throughout Thailand, they decided to convert the nearest airport for the needs of civil aviation. This is how U-Thapao appeared. At first, no one predicted a great future for this small airfield. After all, he was too close to the capital. For a long time the airport served domestic flights taking planes from remote provinces(Phuket, Hua Hin and Koh Samui). But, as they say, if there was happiness, then misfortune would help. In 2008, during the political crisis in the country, protesters blocked all access to the capital's airport. Thousands of tourists could not fly home. The same number were unable to arrive in Thailand. And then the functions of Suvarnabhumi were temporarily performed by the airport in Pattaya. And he coped with his task perfectly. The government has now announced plans to refurbish U Thapao. This should be the second most important airport in the country. Pattaya in the future will receive tourists traveling to the rapidly developing resorts of Trat, Rayong, Chanthaburi, as well as to and Samet.

U Thapao International Airport (Pattaya)

The photo demonstrates that even today the air harbor fully complies with international concepts of comfort. The airport has only one passenger terminal, but it is huge (two and a half thousand square meters). Convenient waiting rooms, parking, luggage storage, post office and bank branches, first aid post, restaurant, duty-free store - this is far from full list services in this air port. Many foreign carrier companies have already paved the way to international Airport. Pattaya receives flights from Siem Reap, Kaohsiung, Taipei, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul and Busan. By the way, some Russian charters also take their tourists not to Bangkok, but straight to the resort. These are flights from Rostov-on-Don (U Air Aviation), St. Petersburg, Kemerovo, Bratsk (Ikar Aelainez), Irkutsk, Perm, Ufa and Khabarovsk (Nordwind). Kazakh air carriers KazAirTrans and SCAT Airlines deliver tourists from Almaty and Astana.

Airport - Pattaya: how to get there

The city and its air harbor are separated from each other by a distance of forty-five kilometers. Organized tourists who have flown to Thailand on package tours are met by their operators, who take vacationers to hotels. But if you are traveling on your own, then you don't need to worry. Taxi drivers are on duty at the airport gates 24 hours a day. A car will cost you a thousand baht, a minivan - 1,500. There is also a more budget option. Songthaew minibuses charge riders for two hundred and fifty baht. The trip on the route “airport - Pattaya” will last about forty-five minutes.

Utapao Airport is located 40 km from Pattaya. It serves military and civilian flights.

The proximity to the capital determines the strategic importance of the air hub. It lies not only in transport support for the tourist flow.

Utapao Airport on the map

Utapao is also an alternative to Don Muang, as well as an integral part of Thailand's air force infrastructure.

Utapao in the transport system of Thailand

Historically, Utapao is not just an airport for hundreds of thousands of incoming tourists. The name that was given to the air port belonged to the nearby military town.

The airport was built for the Royal Thai Air Force and was used as military base. During the Vietnam War, the Thais provided it to service US military aircraft that bombed Vietnam from the air. In the future, the airport will undergo modernization.

When there was no Suvarnabhumi yet, and the tourist flow of Thailand already significantly exceeded the capabilities of Don Muang, Utapao took over the functions of servicing civil aircraft. In any case, this applied to Pattaya and, in general, Rayong.

Utapao Airport video

In 2008, when, as a result of the political crisis in Thailand, both capital airports were blocked for 10 days and did not receive/departure aircraft, Utapao saved the Thai tourism industry from paralysis and became the country's main air port for the entire period. It retains its significance as a military airfield throughout its existence. It is still under the control of the Thai Ministry of War.

Airport characteristics

The airport is international and meets standards. Equipped with one runway 3.5 km long, covered with tarmac. Accepts all types aircraft, including major representatives of the A380 series from Airbus.

There is one passenger terminal. Capacity – 400 people. The airport operates standard services:

• shops (groceries, gifts, duty free, jewelry);
• cafes and internet cafes;
• Thailand Post Office;
• taxi ordering;
• parking.

Flights served

Domestic flights account for approximately half of all flights received by the airport each week. The following airlines operate on domestic routes in Thailand:

• Bangkok Airways
• Thai Air Asia
• Kanair Lines

Flights are carried out daily and several times a day to the following destinations:

• Udon Thani
• Chiang Mai
• Hat Yai
• Phuket
• Samui

International scheduled flights are operated by Thai Air Asia and connect Thailand with southern cities China, including Singapore and Macau, as well as the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.

Charter flights to Pattaya arrive from the following cities in Russia:

• Belgorod
• Moscow
• Samara
• Irkutsk

Passengers traveling on a charter route to Phuket can make a transfer in Utapao.

reference Information

Address: Phla, Ban Chang, Rayong 21130
Airport website: www.utapao.com
Phone: 038-245595

By highway the path takes:

• to Pattaya – 40 minutes;
• to Rayong – 35 min.

There is a minibus shuttle to Pattaya. The fare is $7. Ordering a taxi from the airport will cost $20. For $15 you can take a taxi waiting outside.

During the Vietnam War, a US military base was located here and B-52 heavy bombers took flight. Today, in addition to air transportation, Utopao Airport is engaged in the maintenance of Thai airlines aircraft.

The airport is located 140 km southeast of Bangkok, approximately 30 km from Pattaya. Utopao Airport also serves domestic flights, the most popular of which are destinations to the islands of Phuket and Koh Samui.

Location of Utopao Airport on the map:

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You can get to the airport from Pattaya by public transport, taxi.

Contacts

Address: Phla, Ban Chang, Rayong 21130, Thailand.

Airport information telephone: +66 38 245 595

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You must have JavaScript enabled to view it.

Utopao Airport official website: www.utapao.com

Utapao Airport - IATA code: UTP

Infrastructure of Utopao Airport

The airport has a developed infrastructure and can offer tourists a parking lot for 100 cars, a Duty Dree duty-free shop, a cafe, a restaurant, an internet cafe, jewelry and souvenir shops. At the airport you can use the services of a travel agency, rent a hotel or call a taxi.