Koh Samui Airport, USM, is frequently described by visitors as ‘the most beautiful airport in the world’, the award-winning airport proves that it is possible to be both environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing.
- Owned, managed and built by Bangkok Airways in 1989
- Koh Samui Airport was the brainchild of Dr Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth, president and CEO of Bangkok Airways, who wanted an airport on Koh Samui to help establish his new airline.
- On 25th April 1989, seven years and an estimated 800 million baht later, the airport was officially opened , with a 1,800m runway and a total area of 800,000m².
We will now guide you, with a series of photos, from your arrival to Koh Samui airport, to the check-in, the stroll or transport through the outdoor shopping mall, the departure lounge, the grounds, to the plane and your departure.
Winner of 2 Environment Impact Assessment Awards, 1989 and 1996 for its use of locally produced palm leaves and natural, open-air cooling system
The Bangkok Airways Ticket Office
Check-In Counters
For 8 consecutive years, Koh Samui airport has been ranked in the top 10, Smart Travel Asia “Best Airports Worldwide polls”
The Park Avenue Shopping Arcade
Winner of the Outstanding Architecture competition staged by Siam Architects under the patronage of the King of Thailand in 1998 and a Board of National Environment Award for aviation environmental protection and awareness in 1989
Virtual Tour of the Park Avenue Shopping Arcade
The Departure Lounge
In January 2004, the airport began a 500 million baht ($15m) expansion programme, including 6 new terminals, four domestic and two international
The Self-Service Snack Bar
Two designated smoking areas in a beautifully landscaped gardens
Eight years later on 25 September 1997, Samui was upgraded to a customs airport with the addition of immigration facilities, customs services, new passenger terminals and additional direct flight routes into Samui
The fish-tank display at the internal public toilets
Back to the departure lounge
Some more free snacks
Your flight has been called, time to get to your plane.
These unique “people movers” are waiting to take you there
On your way you will see the clock-tower
The airport is now able to accommodate 16,000 passengers a day and increasing the annual passenger capacity from 1.3 million to six million. In 2009, the airport handled 1.3 million passengers and 17,707 aircraft operations
Yes, the cabin crew also use the “people movers”
The new terminals, outdoor areas and buildings have been designed to look and feel like a tropical resort. It is a low-rise development with thatched roofs, palm-tree pillars and wooden and rattan walls in an open-air layout that blends with its coconut-plantation surroundings
The “people movers” take you as close to the plane as possible
Goodbye Koh Samui, see you soon
Yes, more food. Why did I have that last free snack in the departure lounge?
