Utapao airport in pattaya reviews. Utapao Airport in Pattaya - how to get from Utapao to Pattaya and back

During the Vietnam War, the Americans built a strip for takeoff and landing of aircraft - Utapao Airport in Pattaya. After the end of the war, the base lost military value and the town had to be shut down. But the soldiers told their friends about this place, they passed the information on to their acquaintances. Shops, souvenir shops, food outlets, hotels of various categories for visiting people began to appear in the city. Pattaya has not lost its popularity since the middle of the twentieth century and is developing tourism infrastructure still.

Panoramic view of the Utapao airport terminal building in Pattaya

U-tapao is the longest take-off strip in Thailand (3.5 km). Former military base reconstructed first for internal, and now international terminal.

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

On the territory there is a technical base for maintenance the largest airline countries - Thai Airways. The main part of the passenger traffic is domestic flights. The peak of the flow of tourists falls on the season in winter time. The airport can also serve as an alternate air gate for Thailand.

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

Historical facts

The aircraft harbor was built in the 1960s as a gas station and base for American soldiers. Later, the functionality expanded, and strategic bombers were transferred here.

War with Vietnam

In 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 front lines for the military, constantly flying over North Vietnam and other countries close to the Kingdom's neighbors, carrying about a hundred bombs per operation.

In the 60s, Bob Hope (American comedian) flew to the base almost every year with a Christmas show - USO Christmas show. In addition to their leave to 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 Muang air terminal, tourists found themselves in a difficult situation.

Asian and European carriers have established flights from Utapao for passengers who could not fly from other places in Thailand.

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

Pattaya Terminal due a large number passenger traffic 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 flight of tourists was at a high level.

Arrival and departure

Upon landing at the airport, travelers proceed to the baggage claim area and proceed through passport control. Nearby are racks of lost things, in case the traveler's luggage did not reach their destination.

In case of force majeure, you should not panic: you need to contact the service workers, fill out a receipt. Employees act quickly and lost suitcase returned to the owner in a day or two.

The road from the airport to Pattaya

There are several ways to get to the city from Utapao: the easiest and cheapest way is to travel by minibus. Travel time - 40 minutes. The price is about 300 baht. There are three carriers to choose from. 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, the transfer to the city will cost about 850 baht. Transportation is organized travel companies or hotels, so there are usually no transfer problems.

If tourists are traveling on their own, then you can call a taxi in the terminal building. Tuk-tuk services are also offered, the cost varies from 50 to 300 baht, depending on the bargaining with the tuk-tuk. It is better to discuss the price in advance before the trip. The airport is located near the town of Sattahip. With a very limited budget, you can get to Pattaya by train. Travel time is an hour, but the ticket price is about 10 baht.

The road from Utapao airport to Pattaya

But the Sattahip-Pattaya train leaves only once a day (13.30). On weekends, the route "rests".

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 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 airport in Bangkok, considered the main air gate countries, the government redirected all international flights it was in 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

Before writing this post, I collected the top popular queries in Yandex, my personal knowledge, and flipped through the sites of my colleagues in the workshop into a draft. I just looked at what they usually write about on request. It seemed interesting that most of the articles about the airport in U-Tapao begin with a historical remark, although even a hint of the history of the airport in Pattaya never slipped in the top queries. In short, we go from the opposite and on my blog you will first receive answers to your questions and only at the end of the post I will write a little about the airport itself.

I usually place the object map 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 shown to you first, and here's why.

Between resort town Pattaya and U-Tapao Airport are almost forty kilometers away. 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 you can no longer overcome on foot, by metro or tuk-tuk, so you have to choose between the four main options for transfer Utapao-Pattaya.

How to get from Utapao to Pattaya and back

Get from Utapao to Pattaya and reverse direction There are four main ways: taxi, regular transport, minibus shuttle or train. All points, regardless of their headings, imply that the methods of transportation and the price of the transfer "there" are exactly the same as the "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 railroad station Ban Phlu Ta Luang, with which train number 284 departs daily at 13:35, to Bangkok. In Pattaya, he stops at 14:20, but just in case, always check the validity of the schedule on the website of the Royal Thai Railways.

The method is very amateur and can only be used once a day, plus you will still need to drive somehow these six kilometers from the airport, but this is in the region of 100-150 baht. Just don't be afraid of the rise in the price of the transfer, because train tickets cost 27, 14 and 6 baht for 1, 2 and 3 class cars, respectively. Six baht, Carl! return train No. 283 from Pattaya to Ban Phlu Ta Luang departs the same way, daily, at 10:35 and arrives at 11:20.

Scheduled Thai transport

Sukhumvit Road regularly runs large colorful buses and white micro-buses with Thai inscriptions of destinations: Chonburi-Pattaya-Utapao-Rayong. Used for transportation local population, with corresponding prices. And in order not to compete with tourist shuttles, there are no inscriptions in English on such buses. Perhaps on the windshields of large buses, but you will have to identify small white mikriks with your eyes.

They go often, once every 5-15 minutes. They stop at the wave of their hand or at public transport stops. The price of the trip is 50-60 baht, it's a long ride, because they stop at every stop.

You will have to get off 3.5 km from the terminal, the rest of the way is overcome by tuk-tuk or motorcycle taxi, which are on duty in the area of the turn to the airport, the price of the trip is about 100 baht. In total, this is cheaper than any minibus for 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 flights to Pattaya: Destination Pattaya and Pattaya-Downtown, which you can choose at the stage of booking a 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 transfer throughout Pattaya, but only to the shopping center Central Festival which is located in the city center.

Click here 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 that, you will be taken to the minibus and after 40 minutes you will be near the Central Festival in Pattaya. You won’t be able to buy a transfer separately - everything is tied to tickets and Air flights Asia. If you arrived without booking a transfer, then you can choose any of the counters where they offer a minibus transfer from 250 baht per person. In principle, the shuttle is an option for singles. If you are traveling with a company of 3 people, and even with children, then it is already 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 3000 baht for private transfer from all sorts of obscure services that pop up when active search online. Therefore, if the task is to order a car in advance, then it is better to take it in a proven Kiwitaxi (here).

The price tag of KiwiTaxi is so-so, to be honest. Look at the cost, it starts somewhere from 1400 baht for a car, an ordinary sedan. There are a number of private drivers, which 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 with online payment and with a major service, so that with a guarantee of meeting with a sign at the airport, then this is Qiwi. So let's say, for those who do not care much about the price.

Car rental

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

In order not to go through the sites of distributors one by one, it is best to use the service, which will immediately give out all the offers from everyone. You order and on arrival a car is already waiting for you.

The scheme 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 major center messages with the reception of international flights and high throughput. Very roughly speaking, two-thirds of the premises are occupied by the check-in and departure area, and one-third by the arrivals area.

Airport infrastructure includes a zone duty free, shops, food court, 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 do not need to receive any special instructions for surviving at the Utapao airport.

Utapao Online Scoreboard

Address: Phla, Ban Chang, Rayong 21130
Official name: U-TAPAO
IATA Code: UTP
ICAO code: VTBU
Official website: utapao.com

Utapao Airport began its activity in the 60s of the past century. Initially, it served as a gas station, and also served as a base for American soldiers during the war with neighboring Vietnam. Over time, the base was reconstructed and converted to domestic airport, which later received international status. To date, the aerocomplex has at its disposal the longest in all of Thailand runway, 3.5 kilometers long. These characteristics make it possible to aircraft all categories, including the Airbus A380.

Location map of U-Tapao airport:

The airport has only one passenger terminal. It serves passengers of both domestic and international flights. The infrastructure of the terminal is very well developed, it is also not difficult to navigate, as signs in English are installed around the entire perimeter.

For the convenience of passengers, there is an information desk, food points, various shops (including souvenir shops), a duty free zone, a post office, ATMs, and a taxi stand.

The terminal can simultaneously accommodate up to 400 people. All information about flights is provided by electronic scoreboards located in the main hall.

The departure zone is most terminal and is located on its left side. Before you get to the check-in desks, be sure to go through the baggage screening. This standard procedure is common to all airports in Thailand.

There is also a Tax Free window in the departure area. In it, you can return VAT on purchased goods in Thailand. Their value must exceed 2,000 baht and a correctly completed receipt is required.

Arriving passengers are served on the right side of the terminal. There is also a travel agency that offers services for booking hotels or ordering excursions of any subject. There is a car park in front of the building with a capacity of 100 cars.

Please note that there is no Wi-Fi zone at the airport. If desired, passengers can visit an Internet cafe and use a desktop computer.

Online scoreboard of U-tapao airport:

Most of the flights served by Utapao are domestic flights. Main directions:

Hat Yai;
Samui:
Udon Thani;
Phuket;
Chiang Mai.

Depending on the direction, flights can be operated either daily or just a few times a week. Utapao airport works with the following airlines:

Bangkok Airways;
Kanair Lines;
Thai AirAsia.

Almost all international flights operated by Thai Air Asia. She sends her planes to southern cities China, Malaysia, Singapore and Macau.

IN high season the airport accepts some charters from Russian cities. The data for 2016 indicate that air communication was established with Moscow, Belgorod, Irkutsk, Samara and Ufa. Such flights were carried out by companies:

UTair Aviation;
Nordwind Airlines;
Ikar Airlines.

You can search for flights from Russia to U-Tapao Airport:

How to get from the airport to Pattaya

From Pattaya, Utapao Airport is no more than 30 kilometers away. Despite the fact that it does not run here public transport, trouble getting to desired hotel and should not come back. There are several of the most popular travel options, each of which has its own characteristics and disadvantages.

Bus (minivans)

This is perhaps one of the most simple ways trips. At the exit, a lot of smiling Thais appear in front of the passengers, who offer the services of their transport. The cost of the trip to the hotel is 250 baht (slight changes are possible).

The only disadvantage of such transport is that you have to wait until the minivan is full. This can take 10 minutes or an hour. Minibuses (as they are also called) deliver tourists to hotels. It should be borne in mind that the trip may be slightly delayed, as no one guarantees that your hotel will be among the first.

Minivans are great for those who travel alone or as a couple. This good way save on travel. Arriving big family, you can always rent a car completely and not wait until it is full.

Taxi from U-Tapao Airport to Pattaya

The most comfortable and fastest way to travel will be, of course, ordering a taxi. Firstly, the car will be waiting for you when the plane arrives, and secondly, you will not have to waste time waiting for the minivan to fill up. Plus, this is a significant time saving on the road, since from the airport you will go straight to your hotel.

It is convenient and profitable to order a taxi via the Internet. IN Lately The Kiwitaxi company is becoming more and more popular. By placing an order on the site, you can be sure that you will be met and delivered to the appointed place. It will not be difficult to find the driver at the exit, as he will be waiting for you with a sign in his hands, which shows your last name. Kiwitaxi offers different services and cars. For those traveling with a child, a car seat can be provided. The cost of the trip depends on the remoteness of the hotel, but, as a rule, varies within 1000 baht.
Also approximate prices from U-tapao airport:

to Rayong starting at $25
in Ban Phe Pier from 3 070 rubles.
in Ban Phe from 2 702 rubles.
in Lyma-Ngopa Pier Trat from 7 183 rubles.
to Hua Hin from 9 086 rub
to Bangkok from 4 912 roubles.
V Suvarnabhumi Airport from 4 421 rubles.

In order to make a trip in the opposite direction, that is, from the hotel to the airport, you can use the same methods, as well as a transfer. You can always order a minivan at any travel agency located on all the beaches of Pattaya.

Last week we flew from Udon Thani to Pattaya. Landed at Utapao airport. Before buying tickets, I searched the entire Internet, but 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

Order personal transfer through the internet you can 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, regular airport, only small.

How to get from Utapao Airport to Pattaya

There is no public transportation to Wu-tapao airport. 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

Representatives are standing at the exit transport agencies who wave 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 with a large 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.

Selection box Transfer 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 fast 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