(THAILAND) — Airports of Thailand confirmed higher international passenger service charges that will take effect on June 20, 2026, raising the departure fee from 730 baht to 1,120 baht.

The increase applies to outbound international passengers and lifts the charge by 53%. It marks the first hike in nearly two decades.

Airports of Thailand, often referred to as AOT, will apply the higher fee at six airports: Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Chiang Mai International Airport, Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International Airport, Phuket International Airport and Hat Yai International Airport.

Incoming passengers will not pay the higher charge. AOT limited the increase to departing international travellers.

The new departure fee equals about USD 31. The current charge of 730 baht equals about USD 20.

AOT President Paweena Jariyathitipong said the added revenue will fund airport modernization. The plans include expanded passenger terminals, new automated check-in systems known as CUPPS, and enhanced safety technology.

CUPPS refers to common use passenger processing systems, which airports use for automated check-in and shared processing functions. AOT tied the higher departure fee to that equipment as part of a broader upgrade program across the airports under its control.

The state-backed airport operator presented the increase as a funding measure rather than a short-term pricing change. Its plan links passenger charges to capital spending on terminals and operational systems inside the country’s busiest international gateways.

Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand’s main international hub, sits at the center of that push. Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai and Hat Yai also fall under the revised fee structure for international departures.

AOT also cast the new charge as regionally competitive. It cited Singapore’s equivalent international passenger fees at about 1,600 baht, a figure above Thailand’s new 1,120 baht departure fee.

That comparison offers the company’s clearest public justification beyond infrastructure spending. The message from Airports of Thailand is that the revised fee remains within the range of charges paid by international travellers elsewhere in the region.

AOT said it does not expect the increase to significantly affect travel demand. That position suggests the airport operator sees the higher charge as absorbable for international passengers, even after a jump of nearly four hundred baht per departure.

The timing matters for airlines, airport operators and passengers booking trips that depart after June 20, 2026. Tickets for outbound international travel from the six airports will carry a higher departure fee once the change takes effect.

Thailand’s confirmation closes months of uncertainty over whether the operator would move ahead with a long-discussed rise in passenger service charges. The decision now sets a clear benchmark for international departures from the country’s largest airports, led by Suvarnabhumi Airport, as AOT seeks more revenue for terminals, automated check-in and safety systems.