Bangkok Airways, a sub-lessee and a property manager of Samui Airport, has been granted permission from Department of Civil Aviation to increase the International Passenger Service Charge (International PSC) for Samui Airport, from Bt500 to Bt600 per ticket.

 This will impact passengers whose air tickets are issued from March 1.

 DBS Vickers Securities (Thailand) considered this increase as a positive news for Samui Airport Property Fund (SPF), the 30-year airport leasee formed in 2006 with Bangkok Airways as a principal unit holder.

 The increase in service charge will generate additional income of Bt20 per an international departing passenger whose ticket is issued from March 1 onwards to the fund. Note that international passengers accounted for 32 per cent of total passengers of 775,201 in 2009. 

 Currently, the service charge collected by Bangkok Airways is Bt300 per passenger for domestic flights and Bt500 per passenger for international flights.  SPF, however, currently gets Bt300 per all types of passengers from the airline which has to shoulder all operating expenses of the airport. 

 According to the leasehold agreement, SPF will earn 20 per cent, on the upside, if the service charge collected by the operator increases from the current rate.  This means that from March 1, SPF will receive Bt320 revenue per an international passenger.

 In 2009, the number of passengers to Samui grew 4.3 per cent on year.