Mae Sot's terminal, opened in 2019, sits about 3 km west of town between Mae Sot and the Moei River border. Nok Air flies to Bangkok Don Mueang. Everything is close: a taxi or tuk-tuk into town costs around ฿100 and takes five to ten minutes. The airport closes overnight.
By the bookingMentor Travel Desk · Updated · How we research
Mae Sot's airport is a modern building with a light schedule. This guide covers what is inside, the quick trip into town and the practical points for a border town.
Please note: Flights, hotels near the airport and car hire with driver on this page can be booked directly on bookingMentor. We list places on merit, and bookings never affect what we say about them.
Mae Sot Airport (MAQ) is a small domestic airport in Tha Sai Luat subdistrict, about 5 km west of Mae Sot town in Tak province, close to the Moei River and the border with Myanmar. Nok Air flies turboprops from here to Bangkok Don Mueang. It suits aid and NGO workers, traders, and travellers heading for the border market, the waterfalls along Highway 1090.
The airfield opened in 1930, which makes it one of the older aviation sites in northern Thailand. For most of its life it handled a few small aircraft a day. Its position a short drive from the Thai–Myanmar Friendship Bridge has given it a role beyond tourism: in April 2024, after the fighting around Myawaddy across the river, Thai authorities used the airport to fly out about 617 Myanmar military personnel and family members at Myanmar's request.
Runway length, 2026: only Nok Air's turboprops fly scheduled services to Mae Sot. Thailand's aeronautical publication now lists the runway at 2,100 m, up from 1,500 m, with a displaced landing threshold. Thai AirAsia has said it will come once the runway suits its A320s, but no jet service had started by November 2026.
Nok Air flew a Mae Sot–Yangon route from October 2017 to January 2018, the airport's first international commercial service. It did not last, and there have been no international flights since. Wisdom Airways also once ran a Cessna Grand Caravan service to Chiang Mai twice a week.
The present passenger terminal was built between 2016 and 2018 and opened on 4 April 2019; Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn formally inaugurated it in December that year. It is designed for about 1.7 million passengers a year, ten times the 170,000 of the old building, so it never feels crowded. Inside are a few check-in counters and car rental services. There is no food court, no lounge and no bank branch, so eat in town before you fly; the morning market and Burmese tea shops are a short ride away.
The aerodrome's published hours are 06:00 to 18:00 local time. With only a few flights a day, the terminal is busy for an hour or two around each departure and quiet the rest of the time.
For years Mae Sot's runway, 09/27, was 1,500 m long. Thailand's official aeronautical publication now lists it at 2,100 m by 45 m, but also shows the runway 09 threshold displaced by 410 m, and it asks pilots to land on runway 27 because runway 09 is unsuitable for landing. The airfield sits 210 m above sea level and has Category 6 fire cover.
Thai AirAsia said it would add Mae Sot once the runway could take its Airbus A320s, but no jet service had started by November 2026, and Nok Air's turboprops remain the only scheduled flights. Traffic has fallen: 76,333 passengers passed through in 2025, down 25.88 percent, on 1,328 aircraft movements.
Nok Air flies to Bangkok Don Mueang in about 55 minutes. Turboprop cabins are tight, so keep hand luggage small and check the airline's weight limit. There is no service to Suvarnabhumi or Chiang Mai. Leave a generous buffer before any onward international connection in Bangkok.
Everything is close. Taxis and tuk-tuks meet each flight and charge about ฿100 to the town centre or the border, with no meter, so agree the price first. In town, motorbike and tuk-tuk taxis wait near the market and Tesco Lotus, and most trips cost ฿50 to ฿100. Songthaews to the Friendship Bridge leave from the far side of the Burmese market for about ฿20.
Minibuses to Tak city depart from the southern end of the Burmese market for about ฿78, taking around 90 minutes, and connect with buses on the main north–south highway. For a day out to the Rim Moei border market and the Tararak and Phra Charoen waterfalls on Highway 1090, a car with a driver from bookingMentor meets your flight at a fixed price.
The Thai–Myanmar Friendship Bridge links Mae Sot with Myawaddy, but conditions on the Myanmar side have been unsettled since the 2024 fighting. Foreign travellers should check the current status of the border, their visa position and their government's travel advice before planning to cross. Most visitors stay on the Thai side and visit the riverside market.
Arrive about an hour before departure. Security and check-in are quick in a terminal this size, but turboprops board early and the gate closes on time. If you are travelling during Thai holidays, book the Nok Air flight well ahead, because a single airline with small aircraft means few seats.
At Mae Sot, landside is the check-in hall and arrivals area anyone can enter; airside is the departure lounge beyond security. The airport is domestic-only, so there is no passport control in either direction.
This guide is written and maintained by the bookingMentor Travel Desk. We check the Nok Air schedule, transport fares and border-related advice against published sources and update the page when the situation changes.
Last updated . Fares are typical figures from travel guides and change with fuel prices and demand. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Checked against trusted sources:
Department of AirportsThai PBS news coverage of the terminal openingNok Air schedules via flight trackers
Departures and arrivals listed on bookingMentor for Mae Sot Airport.
Times are from the flights listed on bookingMentor, not a live departure feed. Always confirm with your airline before travelling.
Scheduled passenger service at Mae Sot is a single Nok Air route to Bangkok Don Mueang.
1 airline
No domestic match
Thai tap water is not drinkable. Buy bottled water in town or landside before security.
Thailand uses types A, B, C, F and O sockets at 220 V. Arrive with devices charged; the wait before boarding is usually short.
There is no food court. Eat in Mae Sot before you fly: the morning market and Burmese tea shops are a short ride from the terminal.
MAQ has the essentials of a small regional airport. These are the services available in the terminal.
Nothing matches that search. Try "sim", "wifi", "bag" or "food".
With few daily flights, the terminal is busy for an hour or two around each one and quiet otherwise. Outlets and counters follow the schedule.
Mae Sot is a domestic airport, so arrivals are quick: no immigration and no customs.
Follow staff from the aircraft into the 2019 terminal building.
One belt for one flight; bags from a turboprop come through quickly.
Car rental is here. Taxis and tuk-tuks wait outside; agree the fare, around ฿100 to town, before you get in.
The centre and Burmese market are about 3 km east, five to ten minutes by road.
The drive is short, but the Nok Air flight is often the only departure of the day; do not risk missing it.
Nok Air checks in at the counters in the main hall. Turboprops have tight cabin space, so keep hand luggage small.
A single checkpoint. Liquids over 100 ml are not allowed in hand luggage.
Wait in the departure lounge until the flight is called.
The airport is on the western side of Mae Sot, between the town and the Moei River border. Everything is close, and fares are low.
Book a car with driver on bookingMentor for the airport run or a full day out to the Rim Moei border market, the Tararak and Phra Charoen waterfalls on Highway 1090, or onward to Tak.
Book car hire on bookingMentorTaxis and tuk-tuks meet the flights. Guides quote about ฿100 to the town centre or the border; there is no meter, so agree the price first.
Songthaews to the Friendship Bridge leave from the far side of the Burmese market. Motorbike and tuk-tuk taxis wait near the market and the Tesco Lotus; most trips in town cost ฿50 – ฿100.
Minibuses run to Tak, where you connect to buses on the main north–south highway. You need a taxi from the airport to the departure point first.
Mae Sot is a frontier town with a heavy police and military presence. The airport is safe; the cautions here are about the border.
Others of this kind you opened on this device, so you can get back to them quickly.
Some travel guides say it is walkable from the western edge of town, but with luggage and Mae Sot's heat a ฿100 tuk-tuk makes more sense.
Yes, briefly. Nok Air flew to Yangon from October 2017 to January 2018.
It opened to passengers in April 2019 and was formally inaugurated in December 2019.
Yes, long-distance buses run to Bangkok, but the trip takes most of a day. Flying takes about 55 minutes.
Yes. Thai Rent a Car has an airport counter, and other firms offer pickup at the terminal.
Types A, B, C, F and O at 220 V.
Do not count on it. Exchange leftover kyat before returning to Thailand; few places in Thailand buy it.
Get an answer from the bookingMentor travel team and travellers who have flown through Mae Sot Airport.
The terminal closes overnight. Mae Sot town is only a few minutes away and has a good range of guesthouses and hotels.
Mae Sot is small and easy to see in a few hours: the Burmese market in the centre, Wat Mani's herbal sauna (afternoons, about ฿20), the reclining Buddha at Wat Thai Wattanaram near the border and the Rim Moei border market. Mae Kasa hot springs and the waterfalls south on Highway 1090 need a car.
Tell us how long you have and whether you can leave the secure area.
Immigration, security and Mae Sot traffic are already factored in.
Explore more options to hire a car for cheap
Everything travellers ask before flying through Mae Sot.
Checked against Department of Airports, Nok Air schedule and travel-guide sources in October 2026.
Getting there
About 3 km from the centre and the Burmese market, five to ten minutes by car. Some guides describe it as walkable from the western edge of town.
Nok Air, to Bangkok Don Mueang. Check Nok Air's site for the current number of daily flights, as it varies through the year.
About 55 minutes from Don Mueang.
No. Nok Air's Mae Sot to Yangon service ran from October 2017 to January 2018 and has not returned.
Take a taxi or tuk-tuk; guides put the fare into town at about ฿100. You can also pre-book a car with driver.
About 3 km from the Moei River and the Thai–Myanmar Friendship Bridge area. Check the current status of the crossing before you plan around it.
No. It opens around the scheduled flights and closes after the last one.
Yes. Thai Rent a Car has a counter at the airport, and other firms such as Avis and Hertz offer pickup from the terminal.
An hour to 90 minutes before departure. Nok Air closes check-in before departure, so do not arrive at the last minute.
Minibuses take about 90 minutes and cost around ฿78, leaving from the southern end of the Burmese market in town.
We could not confirm any lounge. You wait in the general departure area.
General
Only Nok Air turboprops fly scheduled services. The runway was 1,500 m for years; the official aeronautical publication now lists 2,100 m with a displaced landing threshold, but no airline had started jet flights by November 2026.
Only if the land border is open to foreigners and you hold a valid Myanmar visa or e-visa; Myanmar does not issue visas on arrival here. Border conditions change, so check official advice first.
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