Tourists Snapping Runway Selfies at Phuket Airport Risk Death Penalty

Authorities in Thailand are cracking down on tourists who sneak onto the runway to snap selfies with landing planes at Phuket International Airport.

Officials are developing a new safety zone near the runway at Mai Khao Beach—one of the airlines/worlds-top-10-most-scenic-airport-landings.html” target=”_self” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>world’s most scenic landing spots—to keep visitors from getting in the way of and potentially distracting pilots.

“People and tourists will not be allowed to enter this area to take photos,” said deputy Phuket airport chief Wichit Kaeothaithiam via the Bangkok Post.

Officials also warned of flying drones and shining flashlights at pilots.

Any behavior that causes disturbances to landing aircraft and endangers passengers faces severe punishment under the Air Navigation Act. “The maximum penalty is the death sentence,” added Wichit.

Less severe punishments include fines of up to $1,250 or jail time.

While some locals expressed concerns that the new zone would result in the closing of the beach and subsequently have a negative impact on tourism, officials assured that won’t be the case.

“Whilst we want to maintain tourism revenue in the area, it is important that we ensure the safety of the planes as well as visitors to the beach,” said Wichit. “People will be able to take photos from the beach further away from the runway. This way people can enjoy the beach without compromising safety.”