thumb|320x320px|Aerial view of the airport and southern part of the city, captured from [[Doi Suthep]]
Chiang Mai International Airport is an international airport in Suthep subdistrict, Mueang Chiang Mai district, Chiang Mai province in Northern Thailand. It is a major gateway that links northern Thailand to the rest of the region and is currently the fourth-busiest airport in the country. It is managed by Airports of Thailand.
History
thumb|Front of Chiang Mai International Airport
thumb|Chiang Mai Airport International Departure Hall
thumb|Airplanes at Chiang Mai International Airport
The airport began operations in 1934 as Suthep Airport, after it developed as an airstrip in the early 1920s. Until World War Two, it was used mainly for postal delivery services, with some military use. During the war, it was used by the occupying Japanese forces, and was hence attacked by British and US air forces.
The first scheduled passenger flight to Chiang Mai arrived in 1947, with the foundation of Siamese Airways. At this time and until the late 1950s the runway surface was still grass or dirt, with very few support buildings. As of 2018, 31 airlines operated at CNX, serving 11 million passengers, 78,210 flights and 14,612 tonnes of cargo.
As a result of the temporary closure of Suvarnabhumi Airport in 2008 due to the protests, Chiang Mai was used as an alternative stopover for China Airlines flights between Taipei and Europe and for Swiss International Air Lines' Singapore-Zurich flights. On 24 January 2011, the airport became a secondary hub for Thai AirAsia. China Airlines subsequently regularised the stopover.
Facilities
The airport is at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 18/36 with an asphalt surface measuring . There are two terminals, one for domestic passengers and the other for international flights.
Units
The following lists the units that were based at Chiang Mai Airport:
; Royal Thai Air Force
- 411 Fighter Squadron of 41st Wing RTAF
; Royal Air Force
- No. 20 Squadron RAF detachment, 1 September 1961 - 18 February 1970, equipped with Hunter FGA 9
Airlines and destinations
<!-- Please use independent sources. The airport and the airline itself are not independent sources. -->
Statistics
Traffic by calendar year
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right;"
|+ Comparison of passenger volume, aircraft movements and cargo volume at Chiang Mai International Airport, by year
|-
!scope="col"| Year
!scope="col"| Passengers
!scope="col"| Change from<br />previous year
!scope="col"| Movements
!scope="col"| Cargo<br />(tons)
!scope="col"| Notes
|-
! scope="row"| 2011
| 3,880,037
| style="text-align:center;"| –
| 32,445
| 21,484
| style="text-align:left;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 2012
| 4,491,331
| style="text-align:center;"| 15.75%
| 36,981
| 19,628
| style="text-align:left;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 2013
| 5,463,921
| style="text-align:center;"| 21.65%
| 43,366
| 18,188
| style="text-align:left;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 2014
| 6,630,624
| style="text-align:center;"| 21.35%
| 52,642
| 17,796
| style="text-align:left;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 2015
| 8,365,851
| style="text-align:center;"| 26.17%
| 63,843
| 18,425
| style="text-align:left;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 2016
| 9,446,320
| style="text-align:center;"| 12.92%
| 69,202
| 18,512
| style="text-align:left;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 2017
| 10,230,280
| style="text-align:center;"| 8.3%
| 71,994
| 17,302
| style="text-align:left;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 2018
| 10,989,869
| style="text-align:center;"| 7.42%
| 78,210
| 14,615
| style="text-align:left;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 2019
| 11,333,548
| style="text-align:center;"| 3.13%
| 79,504
| 12,313
| style="text-align:left;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 2020
| 4,851,475
| style="text-align:center;"| 57.19%
| 39,455
| 4,915
| style="text-align:left;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 2021
| 1,762,732
| style="text-align:center;"| 63.67%
| 16,051
| 3,318
| style="text-align:left;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 2022
| 5,459,481
| style="text-align:center;"| 209.72%
| 39,027
| 5,584
| style="text-align:left;"|
|-
! scope="row"| 2023
| 8,224,573
| style="text-align:center;"| 50.65%
| 55,663
| 5,255
| style="text-align:left;"|
|-
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| 2024
| 9,082,071
| style="text-align:center;"| 6.88%
| 59,493
| 5,474
| style="text-align:left;"|
|-
|}
Busiest international routes 2019
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 90%" width= align=
|+ Busiest international routes to and from Chiang Mai Airport (2019)
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Rank|| Airport || Passengers handled
!Change %
|-
|1|| Shanghai–Pudong||446,398
| 18.41%
|-
|2|| Hong Kong||323,897
| 10.71%
|-
|3|| Guangzhou||297,819
| 3.67%
|-
|4|| Seoul–Incheon||251,805
| 64.77%
|-
|5|| Kunming||232,791
| 15.44%
|-
|6|| Taipei–Taoyuan||221,975
| 192.24%
|-
|7|| Kuala Lumpur–International||171,918
| 3.84%
|-
|8|| Singapore||128,657
| 4.99%
|-
|9|| Macau||112,956
| 11.17%
|-
|10|| Hangzhou||110,614
| 43.60%
|-
|}
Busiest domestic routes 2019
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 90%" width= align=
|+ Busiest domestic routes to and from Chiang Mai Airport (2019)