Departure
95%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Chiang Mai International Airport (VTCC) is the principal gateway to Northern Thailand, sited close to the city of Chiang Mai itself. For the simulator pilot it offers a single long, ILS-equipped runway set among mountainous terrain, with a full air traffic control service and a history stretching back to the earliest days of Siamese commercial aviation.
Chiang Mai International Airport, ICAO code VTCC, is the main air hub for Northern Thailand and the country's fourth-busiest airport. It lies in Suthep subdistrict of Mueang Chiang Mai district, close to the historic city centre, and combines a busy modern international and domestic terminal with a single hard-surfaced runway. For a simulator pilot the field is notable for its full tower and approach service, an ILS approach into terrain-influenced surroundings, and its long service history dating back to the 1940s.
The airport sits in Suthep subdistrict, Mueang Chiang Mai district, Chiang Mai province, in Northern Thailand, only a few kilometres from the city centre. It operates as a controlled aerodrome with its own tower and approach frequencies, and is the principal air gateway linking Chiang Mai and the wider northern region to Bangkok and international destinations across Asia.
Chiang Mai has a single physical runway, 18/36, of hard surface construction and lit for night operations. Runway 36 is equipped with an ILS approach and is recorded at 11,169 ft in length, while runway 18 is recorded at 10,178 ft. Field elevation is 1,020 ft.
Air traffic services are provided on Approach 129.6 MHz, ATIS 127.2 MHz, Ground 121.9 MHz and Tower 118.1 MHz. An ILS is available for runway 36, giving instrument approach guidance into the field.
The nearby mountain of Doi Suthep, overlooking the city and airport from the west, is a prominent landmark for pilots orientating themselves in the vicinity of the field.
The first scheduled passenger flight into Chiang Mai arrived in 1947 with the founding of Siamese Airways, at a time when the runway surface was still grass or dirt and support buildings were minimal. The airport later saw military use, including a period when Royal Air Force Hunters flew training sorties from the field, a distinctive episode in its history given the otherwise civilian character of the airport. Airports of Thailand carried out significant upgrades in 2014, expanding the terminal and apron to accommodate larger aircraft and extending operating hours to a full 24 hours a day from April of that year. The airport also played a temporary role as an alternative stopover during the 2008 closure of Suvarnabhumi Airport, hosting China Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines services, and became a secondary hub for Thai AirAsia in January 2011.
Chiang Mai International Airport now operates around the clock and functions as the principal commercial gateway for Northern Thailand, ranking as the country's fourth-busiest airport. It handles both domestic and international scheduled services from a single terminal building divided into domestic and international sides, supporting a substantial volume of regional and long-haul traffic each week.