airport
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 airport、airfield
This is the standard everyday word for the facility where aircraft take off and land and where passengers or cargo are handled.
airport、airfield
A facility that includes runways, terminals, and other areas used for aircraft arrivals and departures.
Learning notes
Explanation
สนามบิน is formed from สนาม, meaning an area or designated place, and บิน, meaning “to fly.” Its literal structure is therefore “a place for flying.” It refers to the airport as a whole, including facilities such as runways, passenger terminals, aircraft parking areas, and control towers. It is the normal, neutral word used in everyday speech. The classifier for airports as places or facilities is แห่ง: สนามบินสองแห่ง means “two airports.” Airport names commonly follow the word, as in สนามบินสุวรรณภูมิ, “Suvarnabhumi Airport.”
Usage
It is commonly used when discussing travel to or from an airport, picking someone up or seeing them off, asking about transportation or distance, and reporting airport congestion, construction, or closures.
Caution
สนามบิน refers to the entire airport or airfield. A runway is ทางวิ่ง or, informally, รันเวย์, while a boarding gate is ประตูขึ้นเครื่อง.