Phuket —
The Immigration Bureau Division 2 has issued an official statement addressing reports of overcrowding at Phuket International Airport’s immigration checkpoint, following viral posts on social media alleging irregular practices.
Pol. Col. Pongthorn Pongratchatanan, Deputy Commander of Immigration Division 2 and spokesperson for the bureau, confirmed that the incident was caused by a temporary system malfunction during peak passenger traffic, not by negligence or misconduct. He explained that there was no collection of fees for “special lanes” as rumored online.
According to the investigation, on Saturday, March 28th, between 8:55 a.m. and 1:40 p.m., the immigration information system experienced delays and disruptions. With outbound flights unusually concentrated during that period, 52 flights carrying approximately 8,500 passengers, congestion quickly built up. The immigration hall itself can accommodate only about 600 passengers at a time, leading to long queues spilling outside the designated area.
To manage the situation, officers switched to offline procedures under pre-established Standard Operating Protocols (SOPs), streamlining certain steps to accelerate passenger clearance while maintaining security oversight.
Pol. Col. Rassarin Theerapattanakul, Chief of Phuket Airport Immigration, mobilized all available personnel and opened 18 operational counters, the maximum possible given that some equipment was under maintenance. Officers worked continuously to ease congestion, with clearance times averaging no more than 33 minutes per passenger. By 2:00 p.m., once the system was restored, operations returned to normal.
The bureau firmly rejected claims that passengers were asked to pay 200 baht for expedited service. All officers, it stressed, operate strictly within the framework of law and official regulations. The public was encouraged to report any unlawful conduct directly to the bureau for investigation.
Pol. Col. Pongthorn added that Immigration Division 2, under the direction of Pol. Maj. Gen. Kathathorn Kamthieng, has contingency plans in place for system failures to minimize passenger impact. Furthermore, Phuket Airport is currently working with immigration authorities to install Automated Border Control (ABC) gates, which will significantly enhance efficiency and convenience for both inbound and outbound travelers once operational.
