Besides Suvernabhumi, Bangkok’s Don Mueang Intl. Airport is an important gateway for Thailand’s capitol city. The airport has been closed closed in 2006 but has been reopened just one year later to handle the upcoming low cost traffic. Thai Air Asia, Thai Lion Air and Nok Air are the main carriers and due to its colorful liveries its always worth to make a stop at this place.

Before it’s closing in 2006 the Bangkok Don Muang International Airport (later renamed Don Mueang) was the main international gateway for the city and handled all of the traffic, which then moved over to the new Suvernabhumi Airport. After its reopening in 2007 for some domestic flights the airport became really busy again in 2012 when all of the low-cost carriers moved over from Suvarnabhumi to reduce congestion there. As of 2017 the airport handled almost 38.3 million passengers. Due to the airline separation between the two Bangkok airports you will not find any of the flag carriers with long-haul flights here, but only a handful of low-cost airlines. Most of the traffic is generated by Thai Air Asia, Thai Lion Air and Nok Air. Furthermore you will find occasional flights by Orient Thai, AirAsia and Scoot. Especially Thai AirAsia brings in quite a few specials colour schemes, which are very easy to catch here.

Additionally the Royal Thai Air Force has their headquarter at the premises and that means that most of their fleet is based here. They always operate from the military runway (see below) and if you are a bit lucky you can catch a few of their planes. You should be warned about two major disadvantages about spotting in Bangkok, but the traffic definitely makes up for these shortcomings.

Furthermore the Royal Thai Air Force Museum is located on the eastern side of the airport in walking distance to Spot #4. The museum is open daily (except national holidays) from 9 AM to 4 PM (as of 2014) and entrance is free. You will can find a same smaller airplanes, but also bigger ones like the Fairchild C-123 or Boeing 737-200 in the museum. Most of them can be shot quite well, but there are also a few which a too crammed in.

As Bangkok lies in a tropical dry and wet climate zone you will very rarely see clear blue skies here. It is very common that the sun is only comes out 30 minutes or even an hour after sunrise and it also disappears way before sunset in the haze. Furthermore the spotting locations at this airport are a bit far from the action, so you will need a good lens for shooting here.

Written by Jan Seba,  Marko Siepelinga, Phithakorn Sorachoti, Martin Rogosz and Marco Dotti/Andreas Traxler. Last update: May 2024.

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
03L/21R	3.500 m
03R/21L	3.700 m
Terminals
Terminal 1	All international flights (including AirAsia)
Terminal 2	Domestic Flights Only
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not necessary
Car/Public Transport	Car is not required. New metro stations are installed and all spots are reachable from downtown Bangkok. You can use a taxi to get around but make sure the driver uses the taximeter. We can recommend the App GRAB to get around. Fixed priced and paying by CC is possible. There is a FREE shuttle bus connecting the two Bangkok airports. You just need to show a flight ticket and you are good to go. If there is no congestion on the roads it took only 50 minutes from DMK to BKK. It runs every 12 minutes from 8h to 11h and 16h to 19h and every 30 minutes in the meantime from 5h to 24h.In the case you don´t own a flight ticket there is a bus connecting the airports for approximate THB. From BKK: the small white busses (around 12-15 pax) to DMK are driving from the lowest floor at BKK (Arrivals). It is situated in the western area of this level. At DMK ask to exit the bus at the terminal. You exit the bus at The Vibhavadi Rangsit Rd. This the road paralell to the Don Mueang Tollway. In this area where you have to exit the bus, is a footbridge what you have to cross and entering the terminal from DMK. The way from DMK to BKK: And the way back you will take exit No.1 at the ground floor at DMK and go right (North). 150 meters to the north at the end of the big parking place are the busses. The busses are driving every day from 4:00am to 8:00pm. The busnumber is always 555 and always around 50 Barth. A taxi in between the two airports is around 500 Baht and needs 30-60 minutes.
Restrooms	Inside the terminal building.
Drinks/Food	Inside terminal buildings and at some other locations (mentioned below).
Hotels	There are a few hotels around the airport, but it is advisable to stay near BKK and just do the trip to DMK from there.
Season	It is best to visit during the winter as the sun is too high during the summer.
Runway Usage
03L/21R	This is the preferred runway for the scheduled traffic because it is closer to the terminal.
03R/21L	While this runway is the primary runway for the military base located on the east side of the airport, it is also occasionally used for scheduled traffic. When the other runway is busy with departures, landings will also come in on this runway. During peak times it can happen that there are even more arrivals on this runway than on the other.

	Spot #1 – Glassed Viewing Terrace – Taxiway, Runway 03L/21R Arrivals & Departures
WHERE	The spot is inside the terminal and is basically a landside viewing terraces, which is behind slightly tinted glass. It is before security checks! Just follow the signs to find it. The terminal can be reached by public transport with the Metro, Red Line, exit station Don Muang.++++ UPDATE November 2023: Terrace is fully open! No restrictions anymore +++
WHAT	There is a large variety of traffic you can shoot here. First there are arrivals and departures on the runway and then most importantly the aircraft taxiing on the taxiway, as this is closer than the runway. This can be used both for 21 and also 03 ops. With 21 you will get them taxiing to the runway and with 03 taxiing to their gate after landing. Furthermore you might catch a few of the planes during pushback when their gate is directly in front of you. But this could also pose a problem, as they can cause heat haze and also obstruct the aircraft on the taxi- and runway, so you might have to switch between the two terraces based on gate occupancy. For 21 Ops I would suggest to use the northern side of the viewing terrace, because you have more opportunities to shoot the aircraft taxiing to the runway for departure. But if you want runway action the southern terrace would be best. Action on the other runway (03R/21L) cannot be shot as it is just too far away and also obstructed by trees on the golf court.
TIME	Best light conditions from afternoon till sunset.
MISC.	There are restrooms and several restaurants in the terminal. The glass panels are not being cleaned regularly, so you might have bad luck and the glasses will be dirty when you visit this spot! Air Condition can be very cold so be prepared.
FOCAL LENGTH	230mm for a B738 on the runway and 160mm on the taxiway.

DMK Spot2

DMK Spot2

DMK Spot2

DMK Spot2

DMK Spot2

DMK Spot2

	Spot #2 – Unnamed Road/Field– 21R(21L) Arrivals
WHERE	It can be accessed from the Vibhavadi Rangsit Frontage Rd only. Now you can stay directly at a the corner, in front of a small field (2A), or you continue 200 m on this road until a closed gate (2B). Parking is available at both locations. The spots can be reached by public transport with the Metro, Red Line, exit station Grand Canal. As of July 2022, it is no longer possible to walk over from the morning locations 3 and 4 to this spot!
WHAT	Arrivals on 21R and 21L. The angle at spot 2B is better.
TIME	The best light conditions are from afternoon around 15.00 till sunset.
MISC.	If you pass the gate, after 20 meters is a small kiosk on the left where you can buy small snacks and water. Don´t be afraid by the security guards at both entrances, the will let you continue!
FOCAL LENGTH	From the field spot 2A: B738 = 200 mm on 21R, Hercules = 400mm on 21L

Pictures from the field spot 2A:

DMK-Spot2A

DMK-Spot2A

DMK-Spot2A

Pictures from the field spot 2B:

DMK-Spot2B

DMK-Spot2B

DMK-Spot2B

	Spot #3 – Gas Station– 21R Arrivals
WHERE	This location is found directly on the big Phahonyothin Road. Show this name/printed map to your taxi driver but it is useful to follow the taxi drive on a smartphone using GPS.The spot can be reached by public transport with the Metro, Green Line, exit station Yeak Kor Por Aor. Walk or drive in the entrance of the gas station and there after go behind of it. There is small parking in front of a small car maintance garage.
WHAT	Arrivals on RWY21R only. The spot #4 for 21L is not far away and just a short walk away. You see the planes very late so be prepared by using a tracking tool.
TIME	Best light conditions from sunrise till noon, though the sun might already be a bit too high around noon.
MISC.	Food/Drinks in the gas station (Tesco/Lotus Express). There are plenty of restaurants next to you.
FOCAL LENGTH	Dash8-400 at 230 mm

DMK-Spot3

DMK-Spot3

DMK-Spot3

	Spot #4 – Small Cabinet – 21L(21R) Arrivals
WHERE	This location is found directly on the big Phahonyothin Road. Show this name/printed map to your taxi driver but it is useful to follow the taxi drive on a smartphone using GPS. Find a gap between the bushes and trees around this corner. The spot can be reached by public transport with the Metro, Green Line, exit station Yeak Kor Por Aor.
WHAT	The one major advantage of this location is that you can shoot arrivals on both runways and still have a good angle for the 21L, as it is also frequently used (see Runway Usage). The downside is that the 21R is very far away, but you should still be okay in terms of heat haze. Still the quality of the images will be way worse and the main reason to use this location is the 21L. For 21R go to #3.
TIME	Best light conditions from sunrise till noon, though the sun might already be a bit too high around noon.
MISC.	You can also use the cabinet for seating and sun protection. There is a 7-Eleven across the street. Keep a low profile as police patrols along the road. The Royal Thai Air Force Museum is located a short walk south of this location. The entry is free of charge and well worth a visit after a spotting session in the morning.
FOCAL LENGTH	Close to 500mm for an A320 on the 21R and 200mm for an A320 on the 21L.

DMK Spot4

DMK Spot4

DMK Spot4

DMK Spot4

DMK Spot4

DMK Spot4

	Spot #5 – Thai Maintenance – 21L(21R) Arrivals
WHERE	The spot is at an alleyway next to the Thai airways maintenance and a stormwater overflow basin. It is best to let the taxi drop you off at the main road/Gate 1 and from there take a walk into the area. It might be possible that you are questioned by security but usually they don’t care. You can also drive in and park next to the spot if you come by car.
WHAT	Arrivals on 21L/R.
TIME	The best light conditions are from afternoon around 15.00 till sunset.
MISC.	This part is a private area, we strongly recommend to keep a low profile, other than that you should be fine. There are trees next to the lake that you can hide under the sun
FOCAL LENGTH	Up to 250mm.

DMK-Spot5

DMK-Spot5