Ubon Ratchathani's airport is on the city's northern edge, 10 to 15 minutes from most hotels. Taxis sell fixed-fare coupons at arrivals for about ฿100 into the city, tuk-tuks wait outside the grounds, and a bus costs about ฿20 via Central Plaza. The terminal has free Wi-Fi and closes overnight.
By the bookingMentor Travel Desk · Updated · How we research
Ubon's airport is small, close to town and quick to get through. Here is what is inside, how the coupon taxis work and how to carry on to the Lao border.
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.
Ubon Ratchathani Airport (UBP) sits on the northern edge of Ubon Ratchathani city in Thailand's far east, about 1 km from the city limits and a few minutes' drive from the centre. It is the main airport for the lower north-east, with several airlines flying to Bangkok's two airports. It suits visitors to Ubon's temples and July Candle Festival, and travellers heading to Pakse in southern Laos through the Chong Mek border.
The airfield's story starts in 1921, when smallpox and cholera hit Warin Chamrap across the Mun River and an aircraft flew in doctors and medical supplies. It became a Royal Thai Air Force base in the 1950s. During the Vietnam War, as Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, it hosted United States Air Force squadrons and the Royal Australian Air Force.
The air force still owns the field. It is home to the 21st Wing of the 2nd Air Division, whose 211 Squadron, the "Eagles", flies Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II fighters, and military jets share the runway with airline traffic. The Department of Airports runs the civil terminal.
In 1975 Ubon became an international civil airport with direct flights to Vietnam. The service proved unprofitable and ended, but the international signs stayed. Today every scheduled flight is domestic, and customs and immigration are provided only on request.
A single runway, 05/23, is about 3,000 m long and 45 m wide, built of concrete and asphalt. The airfield sits 124 m above sea level and has Category 8 fire cover.
Ubon carried 1,306,445 passengers in 2024, up 0.81 percent, on 8,904 aircraft movements, with 312 tonnes of freight. Traffic peaked at 1,832,340 passengers in 2018. In 2017 Don Mueang accounted for 1.41 million of the airport's passengers, Suvarnabhumi for about 260,000, with smaller flows to U-Tapao and Chiang Mai.
Thai AirAsia, Nok Air and Thai Lion Air fly to Bangkok Don Mueang, while Thai Airways and Thai Vietjet fly to Suvarnabhumi, the better choice if you are connecting to a long-haul flight. Thai AirAsia adds seasonal Phuket and Chiang Mai flights in the cool season, which save a change in Bangkok.
Facilities are modest. Between check-in and arrivals you will find Black Canyon Coffee and another coffee counter, snack bars and souvenir shops, an ATM, currency exchange, a Thailand Post counter and a row of car hire desks. There are no full restaurants and no duty free, but Ubon's restaurants are minutes away. The aerodrome's published hours are 06:00 to 22:00 local time, and the coffee counters and shops follow the flight schedule.
Ubon was founded in the late 18th century, and King Rama I granted it provincial status in 1792. The city sits on the north bank of the Mun River. Its best-known event is the Candle Festival each July, at the start of the Buddhist rains retreat, when more than fifty floats carrying carved beeswax sculptures parade through town on the morning after Asalha Puja. Book flights and a hotel early if your trip falls on those dates.
Wat Nong Bua, near Big C north of the centre, has a 56 m white stupa modelled on the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya, and Wat Thung Si Muang keeps an old wooden scripture hall on stilts over a pond, built to protect manuscripts from termites. The forest monk Ajahn Chah, born near Ubon in 1918, founded Wat Nong Pah Pong nearby, and Wat Pah Nanachat is his international branch monastery.
Landside at Ubon means the check-in hall, arrivals hall and the strip of snack bars and shops between them. Airside is the departure lounge after security, which has one small shop and a coffee bar.
This guide is written and maintained by the bookingMentor Travel Desk. We check opening hours, airlines and transport details against Department of Airports and airline sources and revise it when routes or fares change.
Last updated . Coupon, bus and border taxi fares are typical figures and can change. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Checked against trusted sources:
Thai Department of Airports and AIP ThailandAirline websites and guidesTravel guides covering Ubon Ratchathani Airport
Departures and arrivals listed on bookingMentor for Ubon Ratchathani Airport.
Times are from the flights listed on bookingMentor, not a live departure feed. Always confirm with your airline before travelling.
Carriers with scheduled passenger flights at Ubon Ratchathani. Bangkok routes run several times a day.
5 airlines
No domestic match
Buy sealed bottled water at the snack bars. Do not drink the tap water.
There are no public showers in the terminal.
Sockets are limited, so carry a power bank. Thailand uses types A, B, C, F and O sockets at 220 V.
No left-luggage service is listed at Ubon Ratchathani Airport.
WiFi is available in the terminal. A SIM counter is not guaranteed; buy a Thai SIM in Bangkok or at a phone shop in Ubon city.
Coffee and snacks rather than meals. For a proper lunch, Ubon's restaurants are minutes away.
What exists in Ubon's single terminal. Try "taxi", "cash" or "post".
Nothing matches that search. Try "sim", "wifi", "bag" or "food".
The aerodrome's published hours are 06:00 to 22:00 local time. Coffee counters and shops follow the flight schedule.
Ubon is one of the quickest airports in Thailand to pass through. The steps below take minutes.
All flights are domestic, so there is no immigration. Walk straight to the belt.
Two counters in the arrivals hall sell fixed-fare coupons, about ฿100 to almost any address in the city.
The airport bus, about ฿20, runs to Central Plaza and the bus station; check times on the ViaBus app.
Rental desks are in the terminal, with short- and long-term parking outside.
More is rarely needed; allow extra during the Candle Festival in July.
Find your airline's counter in the single check-in hall.
Black Canyon Coffee and the snack bars landside have more choice than the departure lounge.
The departure lounge is small and boarding is announced clearly. Be at the gate when it opens.
The airport is almost in town, so every option is short. Tuk-tuks wait outside the airport grounds, and the coupon taxis inside are the simplest choice. Taxis do not use meters: buy a coupon at one of the two counters in arrivals and give it to the driver. About ฿100 covers nearly any address in the city, a 10 to 15 minute ride. A bus links the airport with Central Plaza Ubon Ratchathani and the city bus station for about ฿20; frequencies vary, so check the ViaBus app. Tuk-tuks wait about 200 m beyond the general car park, and haggling there often ends up dearer than the coupon taxi. Six rental companies, including Hertz, Avis and Budget, have desks in arrivals; bring an International Driving Permit with a foreign licence. A car with a driver from bookingMentor suits a day to Pha Taem National Park's cliff paintings or the Mekong at Khong Chiam. Ubon is the usual flying route to Pakse. Fixed-fare taxis run about 90 km to the Chong Mek border for about ฿1,000, with no charge for the return. The cheaper route is the twice-daily international bus to Pakse from Ubon bus station near Big C, at about ฿200, which waits while passengers complete Lao border formalities. Entry rules depend on your passport, so check them before you travel.
Pre-book a car with driver on bookingMentor for Pha Taem National Park's cliff paintings, the Mekong at Khong Chiam or a run to the Chong Mek border.
Book car hire on bookingMentorTaxis do not use meters. Buy a coupon at the counter and give it to the driver; the price covers almost any address in the city.
A bus links the airport with Central Plaza Ubon Ratchathani and the city bus station. Frequency varies, so check the ViaBus app before relying on it.
Tuk-tuks wait outside the airport grounds, about 200 m beyond the general car park. Haggling there often ends up dearer than the coupon taxi.
Fixed-fare taxis run to the Chong Mek border with no return charge. The cheaper route is the twice-daily international bus to Pakse from Ubon bus station near Big C, which waits during Lao visa formalities.
Six rental companies operate at the airport. You need an International Driving Permit with a foreign licence.
Book car hire on bookingMentorUbon Airport is quiet and secure. Most problems are about overpaying for a ride.
Others of this kind you opened on this device, so you can get back to them quickly.
It had flights to Vietnam after 1975, but they stopped long ago.
About 50 minutes to an hour.
Yes, the Royal Thai Air Force's 21st Wing flies F-5 fighters from the same runway.
It is close, but hotels are spread out and the ฿100 coupon taxi is the sensible choice.
No, as there are no international flights.
Thailand uses types A, B, C, F and O at 220 V.
Yes, the airport bus links the bus station, the airport and Central Plaza.
Get an answer from the bookingMentor travel team and travellers who have flown through Ubon Ratchathani Airport.
The terminal closes overnight. With the city ten minutes away, a hotel bed is always the answer.
Ubon's hotels are close to the airport; most guests simply take the ฿100 coupon taxi.
About 10 minutes' drive from the terminal
A hotel with large meeting rooms, convenient for business travellers who want to be close to the airport.
With enough time between flights and a visa that lets you enter, these are the sights listed on bookingMentor in Ubon Ratchathani.
Tell us how long you have and whether you can leave the secure area.
Immigration, security and Ubon Ratchathani traffic are already factored in.
Explore more options to hire a car for cheap
Everything travellers ask before flying through Ubon Ratchathani.
Checked against Department of Airports, aeronautical and airline sources, October 2026.
Very close: the airport is on the northern edge of the city, roughly 2 to 5 km from most hotels, and the drive takes 10 to 15 minutes.
Buy a taxi coupon at one of the two counters in the arrivals hall, about ฿100 to almost anywhere in the city. A pre-booked car with driver on bookingMentor meets you at arrivals.
No. Fares are fixed and sold as coupons at the arrivals counters; you hand the coupon to the driver.
An airport bus runs between the bus station, the airport and the city centre for about ฿20, with a stop at Central Plaza Ubon Ratchathani. Routes and live tracking appear on the ViaBus app.
No. The aerodrome's published hours are about 06:00 to 22:00.
No scheduled ones. Despite the international signage, flights are domestic; connect through Bangkok for anything abroad.
Thai AirAsia, Nok Air and Thai Lion Air to Bangkok Don Mueang, and Thai Airways and Thai Vietjet to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi. Thai AirAsia has also run seasonal flights to Phuket and Chiang Mai.
Take a taxi to Ubon's bus station near Big C, where an international bus to Pakse leaves twice a day for about ฿200. It waits while you complete Lao visa-on-arrival formalities at Chong Mek.
Fixed fares of about ฿1,000 have been quoted for the 90 km run to the Chong Mek border. Mukdahan, about 190 km, is quoted at ฿2,000 – ฿2,500.
Ninety minutes before a domestic flight is plenty. Allow more around Songkran and the July Candle Festival, when Bangkok flights fill.
Yes, at one end of the terminal hall near the coffee counters, and there is a currency exchange counter.
WiFi is available in the terminal. Arrive with mobile data as a back-up.
No left-luggage service is listed. Ask your hotel to hold bags.
Yes. Hertz, Avis, National, Budget, Bizcar Rental and Thai Rent a Car all operate here. For a driver, book a car with driver on bookingMentor.
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