Udon Thani International Airport

For the United States use of the facility during the Vietnam War see Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base

Udonthani International Airport (IATA: UTH, ICAO: VTUD) is an airport located near the city of Udon Thani (Thai: อุดรธานี also Udorn Thanee) in Udon Thani Province in the northeast region of Thailand. It is approximately 280 miles (450 km) northeast of Bangkok. It currently has domestic flights to Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang) and Phuket (on Thai AirAsia) plus an international link to Luang Phrabang, the second largest city of Laos (twice weekly on Lao Airlines since November 2008). In 2006 the airport had 677,411 passengers movements and 1,558 MT cargo movements.

Airlines and Destinations

Military Use

As well as being a commercial facility, Udon Thani International Airport is also an active Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) base, the home of Wing 23, 2nd Air Division Air Combat Command.

231 Squadron flies 17 (out of 18 delivered) Dassault-Breguet-Dornier Alpha Jet A airplanes acquired second hand from the German Air Force and delivered in 2001. 231 Squadron previously flew F-5A/RF-5A/F-5B Freedom Fighter airplanes.

History

During the Vietnam War the facility was known as Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, serving as a front-line base of the United States Air Force and was the Asian Headquarters for Air America. On February 8, 2006, an international group of skydivers from 31 countries called "the World Team" set a World Record for the largest freefall formation, a 400-way, over the Udon Thani airport.

References

External links

• Airport information for VTUD at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
• Udon Thani Airport Guide