Phuket International Airport — Phuket, Thailand

Thailand's second-busiest airport after Bangkok, HKT funnels the enormous seasonal flow of beach tourists heading to Phuket's resorts, dive shops, and nightlife strips along Patong and the island's other coastal towns. Phuket itself is Thailand's largest island, connected to the mainland by a causeway bridge, and its tin-mining past has given way almost entirely to a tourism economy that now dominates local employment and investment. Charter flights from Northern Europe, Russia, China, and Australia have historically filled the terminal during peak winter months, creating dramatic seasonal swings in passenger volume that the airport's infrastructure has struggled to accommodate during the busiest years. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami devastated parts of Phuket's coastline, and the region's recovery since then has been closely tied to the airport's own steady expansion. Direct international routes now bypass Bangkok entirely for many leisure travelers headed straight for the beaches.