Phuket Airport Runway Closure: Overnight Dates and Tips

The Phuket airport runway closure programme means no flights can land or take off at Phuket International Airport from about 1:15am to 6:30am Thai time on a set list of nights between now and March 2027. In November the affected nights are the early hours of 11, 24 and 25 November, and in December the early hours of 9 December and every night from 15 to 24 December. Daytime and evening flights are not affected, but anyone booked on a very late or very early flight should check the schedule now.

The dates come from an official runway notice, AIP Supplement A23/26, published by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT). It covers maintenance on runway 09/27, the airport's only runway, from August 2026 to 23 March 2027. This guide lists every remaining date in local time and explains what travellers can do.

When exactly is the Phuket airport runway closed?

The CAAT notice gives the closure window as 18:15 to 23:30 UTC. Thailand is seven hours ahead of UTC, so each closure actually falls in the early hours of the following day in Phuket, from about 01:15 to 06:30. The remaining nights, converted to Phuket time, are:

The date shown is the morning on which the runway is shut. For example, the November 11 closure begins at about 1:15am on Wednesday, which is late on Tuesday night for most travellers. Earlier closures in the same programme took place in August, September and October.

Why is the runway being closed?

The work is preventive maintenance that, according to the notice, cannot be done while the airport is operating normally. The travel news site Deep Arrival, citing the airport's winter capacity declaration, reports that the November nights are set aside for friction testing, while the December nights cover rubber removal and runway improvement work. Phuket has a single runway, so any maintenance means a full stop to flights.

Will my flight be cancelled or moved?

Most travellers will notice nothing, because the closures are scheduled in the quietest hours. The CAAT notice tells airlines to reschedule flights in line with their airport slots and warns that aircraft arriving or departing around the closure may face delays. It also advises airlines not to use Phuket as an alternate airport during these hours.

Deep Arrival reports that the capacity declaration allows no aircraft movements during the closure and only 13 movements in the first half hour after reopening, compared with 25 an hour normally. In practice this means:

• Red-eye arrivals from Europe, the Middle East, India and China that normally land between about 1am and 6:30am are the flights most likely to be retimed.
• The first morning departures may leave a little later than usual, as the backlog clears after 6:30am.
• Late-night departures scheduled after about 1am may be moved earlier.
• Dates can still change. The notice says the programme may be revised for bad weather, with any changes published by NOTAM (a notice to airmen).

How can travellers protect their plans?

The most important step is to check your booking directly with your airline a few days before you fly, because retimed flights are not always emailed promptly, especially on tickets bought through agents. A few simple habits help:

• Open the airline app or "manage booking" page and confirm the current departure time, not the one on your original confirmation.
• If your arrival has moved earlier or later, update your hotel check-in time and any pre-booked airport transfer.
• Leave extra time on the closure dates, as early-morning check-in queues may be busier when departures bunch up after 6:30am.
• If you are connecting through Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore, check that a retimed Phuket leg still leaves enough connection time.
• Complete your Thailand Digital Arrival Card before you fly, so a late or early arrival does not mean extra time at immigration.

Getting to and from the airport at night

If your flight is moved to the middle of the night or very early morning, plan your ground transport in advance, because public buses do not run at those hours. The new electric bus on route 8580 between the airport and Rawai runs from 5:45am to 8pm, according to the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation, and the Smart Bus to Patong, Karon, Kata and Rawai stops in the late evening. Our Phuket EV bus guide has the fares.

Outside bus hours, the airport limousine counter, a pre-booked hotel transfer or a ride-hailing app are the realistic choices. Our comparison of Grab vs Bolt in Phuket explains fares and airport pickup points, and the Phuket airport guide covers the terminal itself.

Do the closures clash with Loy Krathong or the holidays?

Partly. Loy Krathong falls on Tuesday 24 November this year, and the runway is closed in the early hours of both 24 and 25 November. Travellers planning to watch the evening celebrations and fly out late at night should check their departure time; see our Loy Krathong in Phuket guide for event details. The nightly closures from 15 to 24 December also run into the start of the peak Christmas season, when late-night flights are busiest.

FAQ

Is Phuket airport closed in November 2026?

Only overnight. The runway is closed from about 1:15am to 6:30am Phuket time in the early hours of 11, 24 and 25 November. The terminal and daytime flights operate as normal.

Which December nights are affected?

The early hours of 9 December, and every night from 15 to 24 December, again from about 1:15am to 6:30am local time.

How long will the runway maintenance last?

The CAAT notice runs until 23 March 2027, with the last closures in the early hours of 23 and 24 March 2027 Phuket time.

Who should I contact if my flight time changed?

Contact your airline or the agent you booked with. The airport does not rebook flights; airlines set the new times and any rebooking options.

Photo: Phuket International Airport runway, by F3rn4nd0 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.