Chiang Mai provice and Chiang Mai Airport is a major gateway to Northern Thailand that is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination and its international airport welcomes over 2 million visitors per year, receiving 130-250 flights a week from Bangkok, Phuket and Samui as well as Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, China, Taiwan, Myanmar and Laos. The airport is seldom crowded and has a full range of facilities on offer.
Located less than 10 minutes by taxi from the city center, Chiang Mai International Airport consists of a domestic and international terminals in a single building.
Ongoing renovations to the old domestic terminal means that all check in and arrival takes place in the new adjacent international terminal, with departures on the upper level. They are seldom crowded with this arrangement and construction is due for completion by mid 2010.
Chiang Mai Airport has several food outlets, including two coffee shops, a deli and a fast food outlet. There are also a number of shops selling silk, handicrafts, fresh produce and souvenirs.
When departing Chiang Mai, you can easily get to the airport using a taxi or hotel transfer service. Note that you and your bags must pass through a scanner to get into the airport building. Check-in counters for all flights are located at the south end of the ground floor. After checking in for your flight, you can take the escalators up to the second floor to access the departure lounges. Note that if you are flying on an international flight, or a Thai Airways flight connecting directly to an international flight in Bangkok, you will need to go through immigration in Chiang Mai. Immigration and the international departure lounges are accessed through the new international terminal. After checking in on the ground floor, proceed up the escalators to immigration, then on to the departure lounge.
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Getting from Chiang Mai Airport to the city is painless, there are plenty of metered taxis outside (insist on the meter), as well as a more expensive airport limo service offered in the terminal. 100 baht is a the average fare for a journey to most places in central Chiang Mai. There is adequate, safe parking outside Chiang Mai Airport, costing 10 baht per hour. Hire cars can also be arranged from the airport.
