Utapao Airport in Pattaya - how to get from Utapao to Pattaya and back. Utapao Airport in Pattaya. Description, history, where it is, display board, how to get there? Where is Utapao airport located on the map?

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 of the federal highway called Sukhumvit Road. The distance to the state capital is decent - about 140 kilometers. The low intensity of passenger traffic at the airport is due to its 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 ongoing flights in real time and will always know the exact time of arrivals and departures. Below I 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 beach coastline are of extraordinary and mesmerizing beauty.

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

Utapao Airport in Pattaya includes the following units:

Two departure zones and one arrival zone.
Departure lounge and arrival hall.
Reseption.
Luggage storage.
Airport collection area.
Information desk for passengers and greeters.
Toilets in the waiting and arrival halls.
Medical Center.
An area with small shops.
Catering area, ATMs and currency exchange.

All airports in the world that meet international standards require a Duty Free outlet in the building. At Utapao Airport it is located between the arrival and departure areas of passengers.

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

Arrivals area

The arrival area at Utapao Airport is small. Upon arrival, all passengers go through passport control and receive their luggage. Lost luggage often occurs; in this case, lost items counters are located in the arrivals area. If the passenger could not find his luggage, then special service employees will help to correctly fill out a receipt for lost luggage.

Such force majeure events are not uncommon at the airport, 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 2 days later and brought straight to my hotel.

Departure area

The departure area is almost 2 times larger than the arrival area. At the entrance to the departure area there is a large check-in hall that meets international standards, for example, metal detectors. In the departure area there is a large online board with up-to-date information on all flights for the near future.

In the departure area there is a special reception desk that handles VAT refunds. It is located under the Vat Refund sign. Not far from this counter, airport staff 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 arrivals hall. All ATMs in Thailand are similar in appearance to Russian ones; ATM is written on them. Please note that Thai ATMs charge a fixed fee (180-200 baht) for cash withdrawals. Cash withdrawal limits are usually set at 20-30 thousand baht.

All international airports are equipped with currency exchange offices. The higher the denomination of the dollar currency, the more favorable the exchange rate. But in the airport building and hotels the exchange rate is often the most unfavorable, so it is better to change large amounts in the city.

How to get to Pattaya?

Most often, taxis and transfers travel 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 inclusion of more people for one trip (usually the number of people in a minibus is from 6 to 12).

There are several ways to get from Utapao Airport to the cities of Pattaya and Rayong:

Taxi;
rented car;
hotel transfer;
minibass

The distance from the airport to Rayong is just over 30 kilometers, and to Pattaya - almost 40 kilometers. Therefore, the cost of taxis and transfers 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 the help of transport companies, small branches of which are located in the form of racks in several parts of the passenger arrivals area at Utapao airport. The average cost of a car per day is about 850 baht.

Regular airport transfers are minibuses, similar to large minibuses.

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

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

See the map for the exact location of Utapao Airport.

Many tourists who have vacationed within the Pattaya resort more than once still have no idea that there is an international airport nearby. The cost of direct charter flights from Utapao is significantly lower compared to offers from the capital's Suvurnabhumi Airport.

Before writing this post, I compiled the top popular queries in Yandex, my personal knowledge, and looked through the websites of my colleagues. I just looked at what they usually write about when asked. It seemed interesting that most articles about the airport in U-Tapao begin with a historical note, although not even a hint of the history of the airport in Pattaya was ever mentioned in the top queries. In short, we’ll start from the opposite direction and on my blog you will first get answers to your questions and only at the end of the post will I write a little about the airport itself.

Usually I place a map of an object at the end of the article, as an addition to the main information, taking into account the fact that not every reader goes into SO much detail that he is ready to master all these buttons for zooming and switching map layers. But in the case of U-Tapao Airport, the card must be presented to you first, and for this reason.

There are almost forty kilometers between the resort town of Pattaya and U-Tapao airport. For most novice tourists, this turns out to be the discovery of the century, but these are the realities: there is no Utapao airport in Pattaya. And 40 km is a distance that can no longer be covered on foot, by metro or tuk-tuk, so you have to choose between four main options for the U-Tapao-Pattaya transfer.

How to get from Utapao to Pattaya and back

There are four main ways to get from Utapao to Pattaya and back: taxi, regular transport, minibus shuttle or train. All points, regardless of their headings, imply that the methods of travel and the price of transfer “there” are exactly the same as “back”. I just don’t want to rewrite “Utapao Airport - Pattaya” and “Pattaya - Utapao Airport” a hundred times. I will definitely tell you about rare differences.

Train

Six kilometers from the terminal there is the Ban Phlu Ta Luang railway station, from which train No. 284 departs daily at 13:35 for Bangkok. In Pattaya it stops at 14:20, but just in case, always check the timetable on the Royal Thai Railway website.

The method is very amateurish and can be used only once a day, plus you will still need to somehow travel these six kilometers from the airport, but it’s around 100-150 baht. Just don’t be alarmed by the increase in transfer costs, because train tickets cost 27, 14 and 6 baht for 1, 2 and 3 class carriages, respectively. Six baht, Karl! Return train No. 283 from Pattaya to Ban Phlu Ta Luang station departs the same way every day at 10:35 and arrives at 11:20.

Regular Thai transport

Large multi-colored buses and white minibuses with Thai inscriptions of their destinations regularly run along Sukhumvit Road: Chonburi-Pattaya-Utapao-Rayong. Used to transport the local population, with corresponding prices. And in order not to compete with tourist shuttles, there are no signs in English on such buses. Perhaps on the windshields of large buses, but you will have to identify the small white mikriks with your eyes.

They travel frequently, once every 5-15 minutes. They stop with a wave of the hand or at public transport stops. The price of the trip is 50-60 baht, it takes a long time to travel because they stop at every stop.

You will have to get off 3.5 km from the terminal, the rest of the way is covered by a tuk-tuk or motorcycle taxi, which are on duty in the area of the turn to the airport, the cost of the trip is about 100 baht. In total, this turns out to be cheaper than any minibass at 250.

Private minibus shuttle

There are several private companies that transport passengers from U-Tapao to Pattaya by minibus, including the popular low-cost airline Air Asia, which sells two options for air tickets to Pattaya: destination Pattaya and Pattaya-Downtown, which you can choose at the stage of booking your ticket on the carrier's website. The transfer fee (210 baht) is automatically included in the ticket price. But, if your company has two or more passengers, then it will be more profitable to take a taxi. Moreover, Air Asia does not provide transfers throughout Pattaya, but only to the Central Festival shopping center, which is located in the city center.

Here is the button to order a transfer from Air Asia

Upon arrival at U-Tapao Airport, at the exit from the arrivals area you will see the Aireiji counter, where you need to present your ticket to the employee. After this, you will be taken to the minibus and in 40 minutes you will find yourself near the Central Festival in Pattaya. You won’t be able to buy a transfer separately - everything is tied to Air Asia tickets and flights. If you arrived without booking a transfer, then you can choose from any of the counters that offer minibus transfers from 250 baht per person. In principle, the shuttle is an option for singles. If you are traveling in a group of 3 or more people, and even with children, then it is more profitable to take a taxi.

Taxi Utapao-Pattaya

A taxi from Utopao Airport to Pattaya and back costs from 800-1000 baht. You can rent a car upon arrival at the counters in the arrivals hall. On the Internet they ask for up to 3,000 baht for a private transfer from all sorts of incomprehensible services that pop up during an active search on the Internet. Therefore, if the task is to order a car in advance, then it is better to take it from a trusted Kiwitaxi (here).

KiwiTaxi's price tag is so-so, to be honest. Look at the price, it starts from about 1400 baht per car, an ordinary sedan. There are also a number of private drivers who can be found in the communities of any social network on the topic “Pattaya”, from 800 baht for a sedan for 4 passengers to 1800 baht for a nine-seater minibus. But if you want to pay online and with a large service, so that you can be guaranteed a meeting with a sign at the airport, then this is Qiwi. So let's say, for those who don't care much about price.

Car rental

40 km is not a distance for which it’s worth renting a car, but I’ll still add this method. Because if you want to actively drive around the surrounding area, it is better to take the car directly at the airport and then drop it off there. I said and I will repeat again, for short periods it is better to rent a car through large network rental companies, which are present only at airports and large cities. Very detailed information about all the nuances of car rental in Thailand.

In order not to go through the sites of rental companies one after another, it is best to use a service that will immediately display all offers from everyone. You order and there is a car waiting for you upon arrival.

Map of U-Tapao airport and its infrastructure

Due to the fact that the airport was originally built for the needs of the military, U-Tapao looks more like a village, small-town airport than a large communication center with international flights and high throughput. Very roughly speaking, two thirds of the premises are occupied by the check-in and departure waiting area, and one third by the arrival area.

The airport infrastructure includes a Duty Free zone, shops, a food court, an exchange office, SIM card and rental car counters and parking. Taxis are clustered near the exit from the arrivals area. Everything is located very compactly; you don’t need to receive any special instructions for surviving at Utapao airport.

Utapao online scoreboard

A few years ago, I flew to Pattaya through the airport in Bangkok, but considering how far it is from the resort area, it was very inconvenient. Therefore, I am very glad that now charters from Moscow fly to an airport located 45 minutes from Pattaya itself and you can get to the resort through one of two airports.

U-Tapao International Airport is the closest and most convenient airport

The airport is very tiny, but if I choose to fly through it or Bangkok, I would rather endure the discomfort of waiting for the flight than travel 3 hours on a transfer. I flew here on an AzurAir airline and took a package tour with air tickets already included. For independent travelers, only connecting flights are available. I saw Aeroflot airline tickets with a transfer to Thai AirAsia or Bangkok Airways.

The distance from the airport to Pattaya is 40 kilometers. Transfer to the hotel was already provided and we were met by a bus at the airport terminal. But I saw taxi drivers and minibuses at the exit that could take me to the center of Pattaya. A bus ride costs about 250 baht.

Suvarnabhumi Airport - an alternative way to get to Pattaya

Many airlines continue to fly through Bangkok:

NordWind;
Aeroflot;
Thai Airways.

These are all direct flights.

The distance from Bangkok airport to Pattaya is 140 kilometers, which makes it not at all convenient. But if a tour to Thailand was cheaper with a flight on a NordWind airline, I would have chosen the airport in Bangkok.

On a long trip to Thailand, I was at the Bangkok airport, when I was still traveling along routes that were not very popular among our tourists. One of these resorts closest to Bangkok is Bang Saen Beach, about 80 kilometers from Suvarnabhumi Airport and 50 kilometers from Pattaya itself. The taxi ride cost only 400 baht, and the place itself is secluded, with a stunning beach and clear sea.

Buses run to Bangkok from the airport terminal; the distance to the city center is about 25 kilometers. And on the ground floor of the building there is an Aeroexpress train.

If you are planning a vacation on the classic beaches in the vicinity of Pattaya, and transfer from the airport is not included in the tour price, then you can get there by one of the buses that depart every hour from a stop right at the terminal. From my own experience, I will say that this is not the best way to travel, given that there may not be free seats on the bus and you will have to wait for the next one. Even if a taxi is not cheap, you won’t have to waste your time waiting.

The airport is located 40 km south of the resort, 140 km from Bangkok. The airport is small, but nevertheless receives a dozen local and international flights every day. 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 26,100 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 the Vietnam War, it served as a military base for American B-52 bombers, which regularly flew missions to bomb Vietnam.

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

For many decades, only a few planes arrived here per day, but since 2015, routes have expanded, mainly thanks to Air Asia. There is an opportunity to fly to Udon Thani (the closest airport to the Laotian border), Koh Samui, Phuket and even Kuala Lumpur. Moreover, during the high season there are even direct charters from Russia.

The terminal is a one-story elongated building, divided into 2 zones: the arrivals area (smaller) and the departures area (larger). You definitely won’t get lost here: upon arrival you find yourself in a small hall with counters for renting cars, booking hotels, selling tickets for minibuses and taxis to the city. And immediately behind them there is an 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 3,000 baht one way) by bus or if you fly to (airports and). Flights are much cheaper (from 1000 baht), plus bus fare from there to Pattaya is 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 Surat Thani.

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 look at 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 take tourists to hotels, not only to Pattaya, but to Rayong and nearby settlements (a lot of Thais fly to the airport and are not at all interested in Pattaya). The good news is that there are different minibuses going to different cities and, accordingly, passengers are put on more than one minivan. But it’s disappointing that minibuses to Pattaya depart when they are full, i.e. It’s quite possible to wait half an hour or more until you leave (especially if you were delayed at the airport and were one of the last to buy a ticket).

The fare is fixed at 250 baht. It takes 40-50 minutes to get to the resort, but since everyone is taken to their 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, delivering 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, you pay for the whole car, and not per person, as in a minivan.

2. Taxi.

If there are three, or even more so four, people (for example, a family with children or a company), then for the same money you can actually take a taxi, which costs about 1,000 baht.

The 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 owners 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, and then you have to wait outside for your car to arrive. Sometimes there is a line, so you may not leave right away.

If you want to be guaranteed to leave immediately upon leaving the arrivals area, 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 counters at the airport. If you don’t want to waste time on this upon arrival, then you can do it in 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 “Location” column). Tapao").

During the war with Vietnam, the Americans built a runway for planes to take off and land - U-Tapao Airport in Pattaya. After the end of the war, the base lost its military significance, and the town had to be closed. But the soldiers told their friends about this place, and they passed on the information to their acquaintances. Shops, souvenir shops, food outlets, and hotels of various categories for visiting people began to appear in the city. Pattaya has not lost its popularity since the mid-twentieth century and is still developing its tourism infrastructure.

Panoramic view of the terminal building of Utapao Airport in Pattaya

Utapao is the longest take-off runway in Thailand (3.5 km). The former military base was reconstructed first into a domestic and now an international air terminal.

The terminal is located approximately 40 km from Pattaya. Utapao is an international airport but serves mainly domestic traffic. Charters are also carried out from the Far Eastern region of Russia and Kazakhstan.

The territory houses a technical base for servicing the country's largest airline - Thai Airways. The bulk of passenger traffic is domestic flights. The peak flow of tourists occurs in the winter season. The airport can also serve as Thailand's alternate air gate.

Regular flights to Samui, Phuket, Hau Hin, Bangkok are served by airlines of the Kingdom (Bangkok Airways, Thai Airways, Nok Air). Charter flights: Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, Astana, Almaty, Novosibirsk, Guangzhou and other Far Eastern cities are served by international airlines.

Historical facts

The aircraft harbor was built in the 60s of the twentieth century as a refueling station and a base for American soldiers. Later the functionality expanded and strategic bombers were transferred here.

War with Vietnam

During wartime, the terminal served as a base for the US Army and US Air Force bombers.

Utapao Airport Terminals

The airport was one of the military's front-line sites, constantly flying over North Vietnam and other countries close to the Kingdom's neighbors, carrying approximately one hundred bombs per operation.

In the 60s, Bob Hope (an American comedian) flew to the base almost every year with a Christmas show - the USO Christmas show. In addition to their leave for the city, these performances were an outlet for the soldiers. It is believed that the construction of a military facility gave impetus to the development of prostitution in Pattaya.

2008 protests

Due to protests and riots in Bangkok (2008), the airport became the country's main terminal. The opposition closed the Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang air terminals, leaving tourists in a difficult situation.

Asian and European carriers set up flights from Utapao for passengers who were unable to fly from elsewhere in Thailand.

A pedestal with the name of the airport at the entrance to its territory

Due to the large number of passenger traffic, the Pattaya terminal could not provide adequate control and safety of people departing from the country; some US flights were redirected to Japan for additional screening of passengers. But in general, the organization of the tourist flight was at a high level.

Arrival and departure

Upon landing at the airport, travelers proceed to the baggage claim area and go through passport control. Lost and found items racks are located nearby, in case the traveler's luggage does not reach its destination.

In the event of force majeure, there is no need to panic: you need to contact the service employees and fill out a receipt. The staff act promptly, and the lost suitcase is returned to the owner within a day or two.

Road from the airport to Pattaya

There are several ways to get to the city from Utapao: the easiest and most inexpensive is a trip by minibus. Travel time is 40 minutes. The price is about 300 baht. You can choose three carriers. The bus will take you almost to the hotel. Tickets do not need to be booked in advance.

You can order a taxi at the counter to the left of the baggage claim area. In this case, a transfer to the city will cost approximately 850 baht. Transportation is organized by travel companies or hotels, so there are usually no transfer problems.

If tourists travel independently, they can call a taxi in the terminal building. Tuk-tuk services are also offered and costs range from 50 to 300 baht depending on the tuk-tuk bargaining. It is better to discuss the price in advance before the trip. The airport terminal is located near the town of Sattahip. If you are on a very limited budget, you can travel to Pattaya by train. Travel time is an hour, but the ticket price is about 10 baht.

Road from Utapao Airport to Pattaya

But the Sattahip-Pattaya train departs only once a day (13.30). On weekends the route “rests”.