To the dismay of wealthy travellers and private jet operators, no specific reason was given for the unprecedented restriction, which lasts until January 5.
Officials of the Civil Aviation Department and the Slot Coordinator and Schedules Coordination Department, the body that manages the airport’s flight time slots, served the directive at short notice.
The instruction means that no private jets, except those involved in transporting sick people, VIPs or people from the Thai government, may land, take off or park at the country’s third-busiest airport during that period, regardless of whether it is short-term or overnight.
Although no specific reason was given, it is understood that heavy congestion involving commercial airliner traffic during the festive season is the prime reason.
The slot coordination authorities have privately indicated to some private jet operators that a shortage of manpower is another reason, as many airport staff were taking time off at this time of the year.
Operators said the ban means a significant economic loss for Phuket, a popular holiday destination for well-heeled flyers who travel on private jets.
Just one of these high-fliers can easily inject B500,000 a day into the province’s economy, and they spend an average of five days on the island.
Private jet flights to Phuket have been cramped for some time, partly due to increasingly heavy air traffic, but also because of the lack of parking space, both of which have limited the number of flights the airport can accept.
See original story here.