U-Tapao International Airport
Commercial airport serving Pattaya, Thailand / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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U-Tapao–Rayong–Pattaya International Airport (IATA: UTP, ICAO: VTBU), also spelled Utapao and U-Taphao, is a joint civil–military public international airport serving the cities of Rayong and Pattaya in eastern Thailand. It is in Ban Chang district of Rayong province.[4][5]
U-Tapao–Rayong–Pattaya International Airport ท่าอากาศยานอู่ตะเภา ระยอง–พัทยา | |||||||||||
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Airport type | Public / Military | ||||||||||
Owner | Royal Thai Navy | ||||||||||
Operator | Department of Airports | ||||||||||
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Location | Ban Chang, Rayong, Thailand | ||||||||||
Opened | 2 June 1966; 57 years ago (1966-06-02) | ||||||||||
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Elevation AMSL | 42 ft / 13 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 12°40′47″N 101°00′18″E | ||||||||||
Website | www | ||||||||||
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It also serves as the U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield, home of the Royal Thai Navy First Air Wing. U-Tapao is the home of a large Thai Airways maintenance facility, servicing that airline's aircraft as well as those of other customers.[6] Due to the blockade of Bangkok's airports by opposition protesters, U-Tapao briefly became the main air gateway to Thailand between 26 November and 5 December 2008. As both of Bangkok's international airports essential to the country's tourist boom are operating beyond capacity as of 2015,[7][8] U-Tapao in particular has been eyed as an alternate international gateway due to its relative proximity to the capital.