Bangkok
Urbex in Bangkok: Airplane Graveyard – Thailand
Imagine walking down your local neighborhood street; you’re strolling along, watching the traffic fly by, when you look to your left and see the massive hull of a Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet. That’s exactly the setting in an area of Bangkok, where multiple abandoned airplanes sit roadside in a sprawling field.
Urban exploration usually invokes an assortment of methods to enter a site, but not here, you can go right up to the main gate. I motioned to the man behind the locked gate, possibly a security guard, and indicated I wanted to go in and take pictures. 100 baht later (approx. $3 USD), I was inside and not bothered by anyone in the slightest. It’s possible you could get in without paying, but that would be needlessly disrespectful, it’s a small fee. Plus, there is at least one family living there that I could see, with 2 little girls, so they may not take kindly to a stranger wandering in.
Here it is, an abandoned jet airplane graveyard, right in the middle of Bangkok, Thailand:
Roadside view; imagine seeing that randomly with no prior knowledge
The Boeing 747 on the left, and MD80 on the right
Close-up of the graffiti on the 747
Side profile of the 747
A makeshift bed placed under the landing gear of the 747
The Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet, is easily the centerpiece of the area. The sheer size of it is incredible, it cuts a surreal figure across the landscape, and yet doesn’t seem to attract much attention from the local Thais. It’s hard to image a field of abandoned jets in the middle of Bangkok as normal, but to the locals it’s nothing new. The location is no mystery (listed at the end), and some explorers have mentioned that the planes are actively being taken apart and moved around. That may mean that some of these jets will no longer be there in the future, with different ones conceivably coming in.
I got inside the 747 through means of a hatch that was propped open by a bush and sticks.
The hatch to get inside
Lower section; taking the ladder up
Still in the lower section
The main passenger section
Door from the outside of the Boeing 747
All panels removed
A pile of window paneling
Rear section of the 747
A better look
A view from the outside of where I was standing; Rear section of the 747
I took the stairs to the second deck of the jumbo jet, where the cockpit is located.
Top Deck / 2nd Floor of the 747
Oxygen masks strewn about
A stuffed animal; likely belonging to the kids residing in the area
Take a look outside
The Cockpit; almost all the instruments and panels have been taken out
Street view from the cockpit; only in Bangkok
After poking my head through the emergency hatch located in the cockpit (I learned pilots suitably get their own emergency exit), I headed back outside to check out the other planes.
The MD80; located to the right of the jumbo 747
Side by side; The Airplane Graveyard
I then headed towards the back section of the field, where the other planes lay.
Wide perspective of the field; Buildings in the background
What’s left of one of the planes
Nose section removed; Can you spot the dog?
Not your average residence
Damaged tail section of another MD80 (?)
Resting in the shade; It was hot as usual in Bangkok
I spent close to an hour in the area, walking all over and taking photographs. I said thanks on the way out, and the residents waved me off. They were truly kind, and I’m happy it was such a pleasant experience; usually urbex can involve some unsavory locations and atmospheres, but not here!
Directions to the Airplane Graveyard
Please note these directions are taken from Manfred T / Bkkguy, he posted an article on this area, which combined with his directions allowed me to visit here. You can read his article here on the Renegade Travel site.
“The plane is around 200 meters passed Ramkhamhaeng Road Soi 101 in the Bang Kapi district of Bangkok. If you’re going there from central Bangkok, just take the BTS to Ekkamai, and get a taxi from there. Ask the driver to take you just passed Ramkhamhaeng Road Soi 101. It’s a major road, so all taxi drivers will know where it is. It should cost around 100-120 baht ($3-4) from Ekkamai BTS and take around 30 minutes, depending on traffic. If you want to see the plane on Google Street View, just search for “Thanombutra School Bang Kapi Thailand”, and then head back towards Soi 101 and you’ll see the plane. It’s clearly visible from the road.”
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