Don Mueang International Airport
former main airport in Bangkok, Thailand
Don Mueang International Airport (IATA: DMK, ICAO: VTBD) — known as Bangkok International Airport before 2006 — is one of two international airports serving Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, the other being Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK).
The airport is regarded as one of the world's oldest international airports and among the oldest operating airports in Asia. It officially opened as a Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) base on 27 March 1914, though it had been used earlier as a landing field. The first commercial flight to Don Mueang occurred in 1924, marking it as one of the world's earliest commercial aviation facilities. The inaugural commercial service was operated by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines on a flight between Amsterdam and Bangkok.
Throughout the 20th century, Don Mueang served as Thailand's primary aviation hub and one of the key gateways for international air traffic in Southeast Asia. During World War II, the airport was occupied and utilized by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service, later returning to Thai control after the war's end. In the postwar era, Don Mueang rapidly expanded its civil aviation facilities, accommodating the rise of jet aircraft and the growing international demand for travel to Bangkok.
By the 1970s and 1980s, the airport underwent significant modernization, including the construction of new passenger terminals and cargo facilities. For several decades, it was the main hub of Thai Airways International and the country's flag carrier, handling the majority of Thailand’s international and domestic flights.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Don Mueang International Airport” as former main airport in Bangkok, Thailand. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as former main airport in Bangkok, Thailand. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1046755. Authority coordinates are 13.912, 100.607. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2006, 1914 and 1924.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Don Mueang International Airport”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Don Mueang International Airport primary sources, Don Mueang International Airport archive and Mueang research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Don Mueang International Airport”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Don Mueang International Airport” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.