Located around seven kilometres to the east of the city centre, the Krabi Airport services the city and its surrounding province, including the beach resorts of Had Yao, Ao Nang, Rai Leh and Koh Lanta. In addition to domestic flights to Bangkok, there are also direct international connections to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hong Kong, Darwin and Helsinki.
Krabi’s new international terminal is set over four stories and was opened in 2006, along with an extended runway that stretches to 3,000 metres. It was designed to accommodate 3 million passengers annually, but demand has seen this figure exceeded and further expansions are planned to increase the capacity to 5 million. The terminal houses a few shops selling souvenirs and duty-free, in addition to cafes and eateries, while the arrivals hall offers rental car hire companies, tourist information and shuttle bus/private taxi service booths. Both Thai Airways and Nok Air operate domestic routes from the airport, while Air Asia, China Eastern Airways and Qatar are among its international carriers.
The Krabi Airport is located along the main highway of Route 4 and served by official airport taxis and shuttle buses. Private transfers to all of the beach resorts can be pre-booked or organised on arrival from booths inside the terminal, or for those heading into Krabi Town or Ao Nang, the airport bus is the cheapest option.
The first airport in Krabi opened in 1986 as a joint venture between the town and private investors, with only one 18-seater aircraft utilising it for many years. In 1999, work began on the international airport seen today to cater to the soaring popularity of tourism in the region.