Samui's airport has domestic and international terminals and sits about 2 km from the north end of Chaweng. Allow 90 minutes for domestic and 2 hours for international flights. There is no bus or rail, and taxis rarely use the meter, so use the fixed-price counter, a shared minibus or a pre-booked car. Wi-Fi is free.
By the bookingMentor Travel Desk · Updated · How we research
Samui is small, privately run and closes at night, so most visits are short. This guide covers the courtesy corners and lounges, what is on Samui Park Avenue, fixed taxi fares, the piers for Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, and what to do with a few hours on the island.
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.
Samui International Airport (USM) is the airport on Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand, in Bo Phut on the island's north-east corner, about 2 km from the northern end of Chaweng beach. It is privately owned and run by Bangkok Airways, which operates most of its flights. It suits holidaymakers who want to land on the island itself, a few minutes from the beach, and are willing to pay more than the ferry route via Surat Thani.
Bangkok Airways began construction in 1982 and opened the airport in April 1989, making Samui one of very few privately owned airports in Thailand. The airline uses it as an operating base, and its ownership shapes everything from the look of the terminals to the fares.
Samui terminal works and route changes, October 2026: Bangkok Airways is carrying out the Samui Airport Improvement Project, with construction scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2026 and finish in 2030. It will take the airport from 7 to 11 boarding gates, add 40 check-in points including self-service kiosks and raise annual capacity to about 6 million passengers. Expect some building work around the pavilions. Separately, Bangkok Airways has suspended its Samui–Singapore route from 25 October 2026 to 28 March 2027; Scoot continues to fly to Singapore.
The terminals are a cluster of thatched, open-sided pavilions set in gardens. Indoor space is limited to a few rooms, including shops, the ticket office, toilets and lounges. There is a shared check-in and baggage building, then separate domestic and international departure areas about 50 m apart. A landside shopping street, Samui Park Avenue, sits between check-in and security, and passengers reach the aircraft by open-sided tram or on foot across the apron. It is pleasant in dry weather and warm, sticky and occasionally wet in the monsoon.
Every Bangkok Airways passenger, in any class, can use a free courtesy corner with snacks and drinks in both departure areas. The Blue Ribbon lounges admit Bangkok Airways business class passengers, FlyerBonus Premier members and Priority Pass, DragonPass and LoungeKey holders, with paid entry from about ฿950. There is money exchange and first aid at the airport, and a tourist police centre.
The single runway, 17/35, is 2,100 m long and 45 m wide, which limits the airport to narrow-body jets and turboprops. The field is about 20 m above sea level, with hills nearby that restrict navigation-beacon coverage on some approaches. Fire cover is Category 6. The aerodrome operates from 06:00 to 22:00 local time, with customs and immigration during the same hours, and the airport closes overnight, so it is not a place to sleep. Older, noisier jet types are restricted from evening and night operations.
Samui handled about 1.2 million passengers in 2005, more than 1.4 million in 2006 and about 1.2 million in 2019, on 14,000 to 19,000 flights a year. Bangkok Airways is now carrying out the Samui Airport Improvement Project. Construction was scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2026 and finish in 2030, taking the airport from 7 to 11 boarding gates, adding 40 check-in points including self-service kiosks, and raising capacity to about 6 million passengers a year. Expect some building work around the pavilions.
Most departures are Bangkok Airways flights to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, with further services to Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Krabi and U-Tapao for Pattaya. Abroad, Bangkok Airways flies to Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. Scoot flies to Singapore; Bangkok Airways has suspended its own Samui–Singapore route from 25 October 2026 to 28 March 2027. Thai Airways sells seats to Samui, but those flights are Bangkok Airways aircraft under a codeshare. Because one airline controls the airport, fares are higher than to Surat Thani on the mainland, which many budget travellers use instead.
Big Buddha Pier, a short drive from the terminal, has boats to Koh Phangan. High-speed ferries to Koh Tao and Chumphon leave from Maenam Pier, about 6 km north-west of the airport. Take a taxi to the pier and check the last sailing before you book a late flight.
At Samui, landside covers the check-in pavilion, the arrivals hall and Samui Park Avenue, the open-air shopping street you walk through before security. Airside is the area past security, split into a domestic zone and an international zone after immigration, where the courtesy corners, lounges and boarding points are.
This guide is written and maintained by the bookingMentor Travel Desk. We check lounge, transport and route details against the airport, Bangkok Airways and trade sources, and update the page when something changes, most recently for the terminal improvement project and the winter 2026/27 route changes.
Last updated . Taxi, minibus and lounge prices are typical ranges and change with the season. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Checked against trusted sources:
Samui International Airport websiteBangkok Airways check-in and lounge informationLounge access programme listings
Departures and arrivals listed on bookingMentor for Samui International Airport.
Times are from the flights listed on bookingMentor, not a live departure feed. Always confirm with your airline before travelling.
Bangkok Airways operates most flights. Thai Airways sells seats on several Bangkok flights, but these are Bangkok Airways aircraft under codeshare.
1 airline
No domestic match
1 airline
No international match
Samui has two Bangkok Airways Blue Ribbon lounges and two free courtesy corners. There are no independent lounges. Stays in the Blue Ribbon lounges are limited to about three hours.
Domestic departures, airside, between gates 2 and 3 · about 04:30–22:00
Access: Bangkok Airways business class · FlyerBonus Premier members · Priority Pass, DragonPass and LoungeKey · paid entry from about ฿950
International departures, after immigration, near gate 6 · about 06:30–20:00
Access: Bangkok Airways business class · FlyerBonus Premier members · Priority Pass, DragonPass and LoungeKey · paid entry from about ฿950
Domestic departures, airside
Access: Free for all Bangkok Airways passengers
International departures, airside
Access: Free for all Bangkok Airways passengers
Thai tap water is not recommended for drinking. The courtesy corners serve drinks free to Bangkok Airways passengers, and bottled water is sold landside on Samui Park Avenue and airside.
There are no public showers, and the Blue Ribbon lounges at Samui do not have shower rooms.
Sockets are limited in the open-air seating areas and easier to find in the lounges. Thailand uses types A, B, C, F and O sockets at 220 V.
The airport lists a baggage storage service in the arrivals meeting area. Prices are not published, so ask at the airport information office.
Free WiFi is offered to passengers, but coverage in the open pavilions can be patchy; the lounges have a more reliable signal. For maps and ride bookings on arrival, buy a local SIM at the network counters in the arrivals hall. A passport is required for registration.
Food at Samui is limited and nothing runs overnight. The free courtesy corners cover most short waits, and Samui Park Avenue has cafés before security.
Search for what you need: try "sim", "cash", "bag" or "medical".
Nothing matches that search. Try "sim", "wifi", "bag" or "food".
The airport works to the flight schedule, broadly from early morning until the last evening departure, and closes overnight. Lounge hours are shorter than the airport's in the international zone, roughly 06:30–20:00, and longer in the domestic zone.
Samui is compact, so each stage is quick, but open-air walkways and tram transfers mean a little more time outdoors than at most airports.
Passengers are usually brought from the aircraft by open-sided tram. Keep your passport handy if you are arriving from abroad.
Arrivals from Singapore, Hong Kong or Kuala Lumpur clear immigration in the international pavilion. Domestic arrivals skip this step.
Collect bags from the belt and walk through customs; international arrivals have a duty-free shop before the exit.
The hall has a GSB exchange counter, mobile network counters, hotel desks, car rental and the taxi and minibus counters. Agree the fare at the counter before leaving.
Allow 90 minutes for domestic and 2 hours for international flights. Check-in closes 40 minutes before domestic and 50 minutes before international departures.
Bangkok Airways check-in is in the main check-in pavilion. Online check-in can cut the queue, which gets long when several Bangkok flights leave close together.
Walk through the open-air shopping street to security. This is the last landside place for shopping and a café stop.
Domestic passengers go straight through security. International passengers also clear immigration before entering the international zone.
Pick up free snacks at the courtesy corner and listen for your call. Boarding is by tram, and gates close 15 minutes before departure.
There is no rail or scheduled airport bus. Most people use the fixed-price taxi or shared minibus counters, a hotel transfer or a pre-booked car. Taxis on Samui rarely use the meter, so agree the price first. Taxis are booked at the counter in arrivals at fixed prices by zone: about ฿300 to ฿500 to Bophut and Chaweng, 15 to 20 minutes away, and about ฿500 to ฿900 to Lamai, Nathon and the south coast. Shared minibuses from the same hall charge about ฿130 to ฿200 and drop at each hotel, so they take longer. Grab works on Samui with fixed in-app prices, though terminal pickups have been restricted at times, so check the pickup point in the app. Songthaews run fixed routes round the ring road for about ฿20 to ฿80 in the daytime; after about 18:00 drivers set the fare. A car with a driver booked on bookingMentor meets you in arrivals at a price agreed in advance, which matters on an island where taxi fares are rarely metered.
Pre-book a car with a driver on bookingMentor before you land. Your driver meets you in the arrivals hall and the price is agreed in advance, which matters on an island where taxi fares are negotiated rather than metered.
Book car hire on bookingMentorTaxis are booked at the counter in the arrivals hall, with fixed prices by zone rather than the meter. Bophut and Chaweng are the cheapest zones; Lamai, Nathon and the south coast cost more. Confirm the price before you leave the counter.
Shared minibuses run from the arrivals hall to the main beaches. They leave when enough passengers are booked and drop at each hotel, so the ride takes longer than a taxi.
Shared pick-up trucks run fixed routes round the island's ring road, and the airport announced a local public songthaew service in 2026. Fares are fixed during the day; after about 18:00 drivers set the price, so agree it first. Not practical with large cases.
Grab operates on Samui with fixed in-app prices. Pickups at the terminal itself have been restricted at times, so check the pickup point the app gives you, which may be on the main road.
Big Buddha Pier, a short drive from the terminal, has boats to Koh Phangan. High-speed ferries to Koh Tao and Chumphon leave from Maenam Pier, about 6 km north-west of the airport. Take a taxi to the pier and check the last sailing time before you book a late flight.
The domestic and international departure areas are about 50 m apart on foot. Switching between them still means clearing security, and immigration for international flights.
Samui Airport is small and calm. The usual issues are overpriced transport and sales pitches rather than crime inside the terminal.
Others of this kind you opened on this device, so you can get back to them quickly.
Bangkok Airways owns the airport and operates most flights, and capacity has historically been limited. Surat Thani on the mainland is the cheaper alternative.
Mostly not. The pavilions are open-sided; the lounges and some shops are air-conditioned.
Usually by open-sided tram from the departure area to the aircraft, or on foot across the apron.
Yes. There are ATMs, and a GSB counter in the arrivals hall changes money.
For a coffee or last souvenirs before security, yes. It is a short open-air street, not a full shopping centre.
Yes, both Blue Ribbon lounges accept Priority Pass, subject to space.
A small medical room with a nurse is on the north side of the arrivals hall.
Thailand uses types A, B, C, F and O at 220 V. Most European and US plugs fit one of them.
Get an answer from the bookingMentor travel team and travellers who have flown through Samui Airport.
Samui Airport closes overnight, so there is nowhere to sleep inside. If you have a late arrival and an early departure, book a hotel close by in Bophut or north Chaweng.
There are no rest or sleep zones. Daytime seating is in open-air pavilions, comfortable enough for a short wait but warm in the afternoon.
Cots are not provided. If a late flight is cancelled, Bangkok Airways handles rebooking and any accommodation, so go to its desk in the check-in pavilion.
With the terminal closed at night, a hotel is the only option for an overnight wait. These are close to the airport.
North Chaweng, about 1.4 km from the airport
A beachfront resort on the northern stretch of Chaweng, one of the closest larger hotels to the terminal. It offers an airport shuttle, which is useful for late arrivals.
We search, you stay. Check out these great places and prices or explore all our hotel deals.
Samui's north-east corner is close to the terminal, so even a few hours is enough for Big Buddha or a meal in Bophut. Leave enough time for traffic and check-in on the way back.
Tell us how long you have and whether you can leave the secure area.
Immigration, security and Koh Samui traffic are already factored in.
Explore more options to hire a car for cheap
Everything travellers ask before flying through Koh Samui.
Checked against Bangkok Airways, airport and travel sources, October 2026.
Getting there
The airport is about 2 km from the northern end of Chaweng. Allow 15 to 20 minutes by car to central Chaweng, longer if a shared minibus is dropping at several hotels.
Airport taxis quote fixed prices by zone rather than using the meter. Expect roughly ฿300 – ฿500 to Chaweng or Bophut, more to Lamai and the south of the island. Confirm the fare at the counter before you get in.
No. The airport operates roughly from the first morning flight to the last evening one and closes overnight, so you cannot wait inside between late evening and early morning.
Bangkok Airways. It built the airport in the 1980s and still owns and operates it, which is why most flights are Bangkok Airways and fares tend to be higher than to mainland airports.
There are two Bangkok Airways Blue Ribbon lounges, one in domestic and one in international departures. Business class passengers, eligible FlyerBonus members and Priority Pass and DragonPass holders get in, and economy passengers can pay for entry, reported at about ฿950.
Yes. Bangkok Airways runs a free courtesy corner in each departure area with snacks, soft drinks and coffee for all its passengers, whatever the ticket.
Aim for 90 minutes before a domestic flight and two hours before an international one. Bangkok Airways closes check-in 40 minutes before domestic and 50 minutes before international departures, and queues can be long at peak times.
The airport lists a baggage storage service in the arrivals meeting area. Hours and prices are not published, so ask at the information office on arrival.
Big Buddha Pier, a few minutes from the airport, has boats to Koh Phangan. High-speed ferries to Koh Tao leave from Maenam, about 6 km north-west. A taxi to either pier is the simplest option.
Bangkok Airways flies to Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur, and Scoot flies to Singapore. Bangkok Airways' own Samui–Singapore service is suspended from 25 October 2026 to 28 March 2027.
Prices & payment
Yes. Shared minibuses sold at the arrivals counter cost about ฿130 – ฿200 per person to Chaweng. They leave when full and drop at hotels along the way.
Yes. Mobile network counters are in the arrivals area. Bring your passport, which is needed to register the SIM.
Usually, yes. Budget airlines fly to Surat Thani, and a bus and ferry combination ticket covers the rest of the trip. It adds three to four hours, so it suits travellers with more time than money.
Stay & facilities
Yes, free WiFi is offered to passengers. Coverage at the gates can be patchy, and the lounge connection is usually stronger.
We use necessary cookies to make this site work. With your permission we would also like to remember your preferences, measure how the site is used, and show relevant ads and partner offers. You can change your mind at any time under "Cookie settings" on our Privacy policy page.
