How to get from pattaya to utapao airport. U-Thapao International Airport (Pattaya, Thailand): airport services, how to get to the resorts

Is there an airport in Pattaya?

The airport in Pattaya was originally a military facility, and therefore today it carries out both military and commercial transportation. It has a name U-Tapao(U-Tapao International Airport) and is located about 43 kilometers south of the city itself, which is equal to about 40 minutes drive on light vehicles. Interestingly, after its discovery in 2000 for commercial purposes, U-Tapao airport received many international flights, today, this practice is almost completely suspended and the bulk of the flights are domestic flights. You should be aware that if you need private transfer or vip-class taxi, then it is worth foreseeing this in advance, since only taxis with special permits are allowed to enter the airport.

Pattaya U-Tapao Airport

The runway of U-Tapao Airport has a decent area, which is 60 meters wide and 3,505 meters long. Here is carried out about 123 flights per day and thousands of tourists pass through the inspection. The area of ​​the passenger terminal, where tourists are located and expect their flights, is more than 2.5 thousand square meters. meters. Here is also the technical service center, the most popular and famous, the largest, well-known airline in Thailand - Zey Airway(Thai Airways).

Airport map

The entire airport, both outside and inside, is made very compact, and on the first floor, as if divided into two parts. If you stand facing the airport, then on the right side is arrivals area, and on the left, for departing tourists and passengers. At the entrance you will find on the right side information office and registration area, and on the left, a restaurant where you can have a quick and tasty meal before flying. Directly, there are toilets and customs and passport control zones, after passing through which you find yourself in a large waiting hall leading directly to the runways. If you have just arrived, then upon entering the arrivals hall, immediately on the left side of the entrance you can find currency exchange point, as well as a toilet and a medical station on the opposite side. After going through passport control, about 50 meters away you will see baggage conveyor, and then exit. If you want to buy souvenirs before departure, then go up to the second floor of the terminal, there are various cafes, shops and lounges.

Pattaya Airport Scheme:

How to get from the airport to Pattaya

From the airport near Pattaya U-Tapao, communications can be successfully reached by taxi who meet everyone in front of the airport building in the parking lot with about 100 parking spaces. A comfortable trip with a breeze will cost you about 800 baht, a trip on public minibus will cost 4 times cheaper. On the territory of the terminal there is a modern, equipped parking lot for 100 cars. Please note that airport transfers for visitors are organized by tour companies and hotels. On the territory of the airport, which is externally built in the Art Nouveau style, has round columns and light-colored walls, there are many restaurants, sales departments, tourist representatives, ready to take over the planning of your vacation and help make it just unforgettable, but the prices for services will cost you a lot too.

Flight to Pattaya

The airport is located 40 km south of the resort, 140 km from Bangkok. The airport is small, however, it receives about a dozen local and international flights daily. Runway dimensions: width - 60 m, length - 3,505 m.

• Official name: U-Tapao Rayong-Pattaya International Airport.
• IATA Code: UTP.
• ICAO code: VTBU.
• Phones: 038-245595, 038-245600.
• Official website, online arrival/departure board: www.utapao.com.
• Taxi:

The area of ​​the passenger terminal is 26100 sq.m. Infrastructure: Duty Free, travel agency, restaurant, hotel reservation desk, car rental, parking.

Utapao airport on the map of Thailand

About the airport

Utapao airport was built in the 60s of the last century and was purely military. During Vietnam War served as military base for the American B-52 bombers, which regularly flew sorties to bomb Vietnam.

By the way, perhaps thanks to him, we now have a resort in Pattaya, because the military personnel rested in this village in their free time. Currently, Utapao has partially become civilian. But it is still the base of the First Air Wing of the Royal Thai Navy.

For many decades, only a few planes a day flew here, but since 2015, the expansion of routes has begun, mainly thanks to the Air Asia airline. There was an opportunity to fly to Udon Thani (the nearest airport to the border of Laos), Koh Samui, Phuket and even Kuala Lumpur. Moreover, in high season there are even direct charters from Russia.

The terminal is a one-story elongated building, divided into 2 zones: the arrival zone (smaller) and the departure zone (larger). You definitely won’t get lost here: upon arrival you find yourself in a small hall with racks for car rentals, hotel reservations, ticket sales for minibuses and taxis to the city. And right behind them is the exit from the building, next to which there is a parking lot.

Airlines flying to Utapao Airport

You can save as much as possible on the road to Pattaya from the islands or (air tickets cost around 3000 baht one way) by bus or if you fly to (airports and). Air tickets are much cheaper (from 1000 baht), plus bus fare from there to Pattaya - 117 baht. Travel time from Suvarnabhumi is 2 hours, and from Don Muang - 15 minutes to the Mochit bus station, and from there 2 hours. The only negative is that low-cost airlines fly from the mainland, from Suratthani.

Low price calendar

How to get to Pattaya

There are no public buses to the resort, so you can only get from Utapao to Pattaya by minivans and taxis. Let's consider each option in detail.

1. Minivans (minibuses).

Upon arrival, in the terminal building, there is a counter selling tickets for minivans. There is only one carrier company and it is called Utapao Airport Limousine.

All minivans carry tourists to hotels, not only to Pattaya, but to Rayong and the nearest settlements(a lot of Thais arrive at the airport, who are not at all interested in Pattaya). The good news is that different minibuses go to different cities and, accordingly, passengers are put on more than one minivan. On the other hand, it is disappointing that the minibuses to Pattaya leave as they fill up, i.e. it is quite possible to wait half an hour or more until you leave (especially if you hesitated at the airport and bought a ticket one of the last).

The fare is fixed at 250 baht. It takes 40-50 minutes to get to the resort, but since everyone is taken to hotels, you may not get there even in 2 hours. This was the case with us: we lived in Naklua and the minivan circled around Jomtien, Thappraya and Central Pattaya for more than an hour, taking all the tourists . Therefore, if you want to get there quickly, and also if there are several people, then it is better to take a taxi - after all, they pay for the whole car, and not for a person, as in a minivan.

2. Taxi.

If there are three of you, and even more so four people (for example, a family with children or a company), then in fact for the same money you can take a taxi, which costs about 1000 baht.

Travel time from Utapao Airport to Pattaya by taxi is 35-50 minutes and depends on the location of your hotel - in Jomtien or North Pattaya. Transport is all from the same company - "Utapao Airport Limousine", there are no private traders here and there is no Taxi-Meter with a meter either.

The counter is located in the arrivals area - you pay money, you are given a ticket with a number, after which you have to wait on the street until your car arrives. Sometimes there is a queue, so you can not leave immediately.

If you want to be guaranteed to leave immediately upon exiting the arrivals area, then it is better to book in advance. The driver with a sign meets you in the terminal building, helps you carry your luggage to the car, and after 40-50 minutes you are at the hotel.

3. Car rental

There are several car rental desks at the airport. If you don’t want to spend time on this upon arrival, then you can advance, which will already be waiting when you leave the airport (when booking via the link, you need to select “Pattaya” in the “City” column, and “U-Airport” in the “Place” column). Tapao").

At a distance of 40 kilometers from Pattaya, there is a very small but cozy Utapao Airport, which has official international status. The building is located almost on the route federal highway called Sukhumvit Road. The distance to the capital of the state is decent - about 140 kilometers. The low intensity of passenger traffic at the airport is associated with the location in the first air wing of the royal troops.

The official name of the airport in Pattaya is U-Tapao International. To track arrivals and departures, you can use a special online scoreboard. Thanks to it, you can see the ongoing flights in real time and will always know the exact time of arrivals and departures. Below I have placed such a board.

Airport map

The airport is located in close proximity to the popular and most beautiful tourist destination in Thailand - Sattahip Beach. The views from the coastline of the beach are of extraordinary and bewitching beauty.

The airport occupies only one floor, has one passenger terminal and a capacity of no more than 400 people.

The Utapao Airport in Pattaya includes the following units:

1. Two departures and one arrivals.
2. Departure lounge and arrival lounge.
3. Reseption.
4. Luggage storage.
5. Airport tax area.
6. Information desk for passengers and greeters.
7. Toilets in the waiting and arrivals hall.
8. Medical Center.
9. Area with small shops.
10. Zone Catering, ATMs and currency exchange.

For all airports in the world that comply international standards, you must have a Duty Free outlet in the building. At Utapao Airport, it is located between the arrivals and departures of passengers.

Tourists can use the additional services that are provided in the building of the airport itself - a free wi-fi zone throughout Utapao, a travel agency, selection and booking of hotels and transfers. You can also rent a private car, and on the street you can take advantage of the offers of local taxi drivers.

arrivals area

The arrival area of ​​Utapao Airport is small. Upon arrival, all passengers go through passport control and receive their luggage. Often there is a loss of your own luggage, in this case, in the arrivals area there are racks of lost things. If the passenger could not find his baggage, then the employees of special services will help to fill in the receipt of lost baggage correctly.

Such force majeure at the airport is not uncommon, so the search service works very quickly. Usually things are returned to the passenger no later than 1-2 days after arrival in Thailand. I myself once encountered such a situation, my suitcase was found after 2 days and brought directly to my hotel.

departure zone

Departure zone almost 2 times more zone arrival. At the entrance to the departure area, there is a large check-in hall that meets international standards, for example, metal detector frames. In the departure area there is a large online scoreboard with up-to-date information on all flights in the near future.

In the departure area there is a special desk of administrators who deal with VAT refunds. It is under the sign of Vat Refund. Not far from this counter, airport employees weigh luggage and pack it for the flight.

How to exchange and withdraw money?

There are ATMs and a currency exchange office in the passenger arrival hall. All ATMs in Thailand are outwardly similar to Russian ones, ATM is written on them. Please note that Thai ATMs charge a flat fee (180-200 baht) for withdrawing money. Cash withdrawal limits are usually set at 20-30 thousand baht.

All international airports are equipped with a currency exchange office. The higher the denomination of the dollar currency, the more profitable the exchange rate. But in the airport building and hotels, the exchange rate is often the most unfavorable, so it’s better large sums change in the city.

How to get to Pattaya?

Most often, taxis and transfers carry out their trips only to two resort towns - Pattaya and Rayong. It is also possible to get to any place without reaching these two resorts. The cost of the transfer is almost 2 times lower due to the recruitment of more people for one trip (usually the number of people in a minibus is from 6 to 12).

From Utapao airport to the cities of Pattaya and Rayong can be reached in several ways:

• Taxi;
• rented car;
• hotel transfer;
• minibus.

The distance from the airport to Rayong is just over 30 kilometers, and to Pattaya - almost all 40 kilometers. Therefore, the cost of a taxi and a transfer is quite high. If you use the services of local taxi drivers, they will charge you a fee of 1000 baht.

You can rent a car with transport companies, whose small branches in the form of counters are located in several parts of the passenger arrivals area at Utapao Airport. The average cost of a car per day is about 850 baht.

Ordinary airport transfers are minibuses, similar to large fixed-route taxis.

The most popular and inexpensive way to get from the airport to Pattaya is to use an early transfer booking on the website.

Travel agencies immediately arrange a transfer when booking a tour, the cost of which already includes transfer to the desired resort from the airport.

See the map for the exact location of Utapao Airport.

Many tourists who have vacationed more than once within the resort of Pattaya are still unaware of the presence of an international airport nearby. The cost of direct charter flights from Utapao is significantly lower compared to the offers of the capital's Suvurnabhumi Airport.

We continue to talk about airports in Thailand. We have previously considered . We discussed taxis at Phuket airport, and today we will tell you about Pattaya airport. This airport is suitable for those who do not want to fly to either Bangkok or Phuket, but want to fly directly to Pattaya.

Pattaya is the most popular beach resort in Thailand. There is no airport in the city itself, as is the case in other cities of the country. Pattaya Airport is about 45 minutes drive from the city.

There is no exact translation of the name of the airport into Russian, most people call it U-Tapao, American tourists prefer to call the airport Yutapao, and the rarest, but also common version of the name of the airport in Pattaya is Utapao. Official name of the airport U-Tapao International Airport, and in international nomenclature it is called UTP. We will call the airport U-Tapao, which is as close as possible to the original sound in a foreign language.

The airport serves both the city of Pattaya itself and the resorts around it, such as Rayong. The airport is both international, domestic, and military. Despite its small size, the airport serves flights from the Royal Air Force Tailnad. But it also welcomes tourists. It is difficult to buy a direct flight from Moscow to U-Tapao, unless you are lucky with a charter. But a flight with a transfer in Bangkok is easy to find.

On the basis of the airport in Pattaya, there is an aircraft service center for the largest Thai airline, Thai Airways. In addition, it is in Pattaya that the planes of other airlines are repaired and inspected. So the airport is alive, quite busy, and developing. The government is hatching plans to expand the airport to meet the growing demand for arrivals and departures.

Pattaya airport map

If you want to not get lost at the airport, and immediately after arrival know which way to go, then keep this map of Pattaya Airport for yourself. Better yet, print it out and take it with you when you travel. It will come in handy both when you arrive and when you depart.

History of U-Tapao Airport

Connected to U-Tapao Airport interesting story. In 2008, when the opposition in Thailand blocked the Bangkok airport, considered the country's main air gateway, the government redirected all international flights to U-Tapao, and during the period from November 27 to December 5, Pattaya Airport became the country's main airport, which received almost all foreign flights.

Photos: from the official website of Pattaya Airport

Last week we flew from Udon Thani to Pattaya. Landed at Utapao airport. Before buying tickets, I searched the entire Internet, but I did not find intelligible information on how to get from Utapao Airport to Pattaya, nothing but a taxi is offered. But the answer was on the surface. Or rather, on the AirAsia website, where I bought tickets.

How to get to Pattaya from Utapao

At the airport at the exit there are minibuses to Pattaya for 250 baht per person

Paid together with the ticket, transfer by minibus with a group

You can order a personal transfer via the Internet by this link

Thai Air Force Harrier on a pedestal at Utapao Airport

Utapao airport in Pattaya

U-tapao International airport is located about 30 km south of Pattaya. The airport is only semi-civilian and is also home to an active Thai Air Force base. As we taxied to the parking lot, a pair of F-16s took off from the airfield. I didn't manage to take a picture

There is nothing remarkable inside the passenger mini-terminal, an ordinary airport, only a small one.

How to get from Utapao Airport to Pattaya

Doesn't go to Wu-tapao airport public transport. There are no buses here like in Suvarnabhumi. Therefore, all sites copy each other's information that you can only get to Pattaya by taxi. But it is not so. In fact, it turned out that there are at least 2 ways, except for a taxi, how to get to Pattaya - a minibus for 250 baht and a transfer from Airasia, which you order along with an air ticket.

Minibus from the airport to Pattaya to the hotel for 250 baht

At the exit, there are barkers from representatives of transport agencies who wave their hands to everyone, offering to ride in their minibus. The fare is 250 per person. Everything is simple here. They pick up a minibus and take everyone to their hotels. Very comfortable and affordable price. Ideal for 1-2 people with a small amount of luggage. If you are traveling big family, then for the same money or even cheaper it will be order a taxi.

You can order a transfer from Utapao airport to Pattaya from these people

Transfer Utapao – Pattaya by minibus Airasia

I read reviews about how people got on tuk-tuks with transfers through Sattahip, since white tuk-tuks do not reach U-tapao. And then I suddenly remembered that when we flew Airasia a couple of years ago, I ordered a transfer to the airport directly on the Airasia website, it was a little cheaper and paid by card along with the ticket. Comfortable.

I checked the tickets and saw that they have such a transfer "Utapao - Pattaya" for 200 baht per person. This amount is simply added to the ticket. I bought this flight option.

Transfer selection window Pattaya - Utapao airport

How to order a transfer from Airasia

• We go to the official website www.airasia.com
• Select the destination "Thailand (City Transfer)". There will be an option Pattaya Downtown Central Festival.

In our case, the transfer cost 200 baht per person ($6). It turned out even cheaper than minibuses, which are transported for 250 baht. When boarding the plane, we printed boarding passes for the flight and separately for the transfer.

How to find the Airasia minibus at the airport

When exiting the airport, there will be a red desk with transfers on the right. They have a small Air Asia logo in their design, but I didn’t notice it from afar. We gave them our coupons, they put a mark, and then on the street they approached a man with a large Airasia sign, who escorted us to the minibus. We reached the PTT center in 40 minutes.

The disadvantage of this method is that they are brought not to the hotel, but to central Pattaya for the Festival. On the way, you can ask to stop somewhere. We got off in the tuk-tuk area on Jomtien.

Taxi Utapao - Pattaya

Ordering a taxi from Utapao Airport to Pattaya is the most comfortable and fastest option. You don't have to wait for a full minibus to pick up and transport everyone to hotels in cramped quarters. If you are 4 people, then a taxi will cost the same as a minibus.

• Order a transfer from Utapao to Pattaya >>

Taxi Utapao - Pattaya

For travelers with a large group there is an opportunity order a minibus.

Utapao Pattaya Airport on the map

Coordinates: 12.681044, 101.005000