Surat Thani Airport (IATA: URT, ICAO: VTSB) is in Phunphin district, Surat Thani province, Thailand. The airport, which is located 21 km west of Surat Thani, is also the Wing 7 Airforce base. Surat Thani has a single paved runway.On December 11, 1998, Thai Airways International Flight 261, an A310-200 (HS-TIA) bound for Surat Thani from Bangkok, was making its third landing attempt in heavy rain and crashed into a rice paddy about 2 miles (3 km) from the airport; 101 of the 146 passengers and crew aboard were killed.