Mae Fah Luang - Chiang Rai Internatonal Airport (IATA: CEI, ICAO: VTCT) is in the city of Chiang
Rai in northern Thailand. The airport is about 8 km from the city center. Since 1998, it has been
managed by the Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT). In 2013, the airport handled
over 1,000,000 passengers and 7,000 passenger flights. The airport had internatonal flight
facilites and served a few internatonal routes to Macau, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Kunming,
Haikou, Hangzhou, Changsha, Xishuangbanna, Shenzhen, and Chengdu, all of which were
suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since travel restrictons were imposed in China,
there have been no internatonal commercial flights connectng Chiang Rai to the global market.
Thus, the airport has been seeking other possible routes to connect to such as South Korea.
In 2014, Airports of Thailand said that they would expand Chiang Rai airport. The plans include
building an additonal taxiway and more shops and possibly extending the runway. This should
be completed in 2030.
Chiang Rai Internatonal Airport was named "Mae Fah Luang", after Princess Srinagarindra,
mother of the previous monarch, Bhumibol Adulyadej, reigning under the dynastc name of
Rama IX.