Flights to Hat Yai

Hat Yai is the busy commercial heart of southern Thailand, a trading city in Songkhla province close to the Malaysian border. It has long been a favourite short break for Singaporeans, who come for bustling markets, bargain shopping, generous plates of street food and an easy-going pace that feels a world away from home. Booking flights to Hat Yai from Singapore turns what would be a long overland journey into a quick hop, leaving more of a long weekend for eating and exploring.

About Hat Yai International Airport

Location

Hat Yai International Airport (HDY) sits a short drive south-west of the city centre, surrounded by farmland and low suburbs. It is the main air gateway for Songkhla province and much of the lower south, so travellers heading to Songkhla town, Satun or the nearby border districts also land here.

Terminals

The airport handles domestic and international passengers in a single, compact terminal building. Check-in counters, baggage belts, money changers and SIM card stalls are all close together, which makes arriving and departing straightforward even at busier times of day.

Getting to and from the airport

Airport limousine and taxi counters in the arrivals hall offer fixed-price rides into town, and shared minivans run to the city centre as well. Ride-hailing apps work in Hat Yai, and many guesthouses and hotels can arrange a pickup if you ask in advance. For the return trip, leave some buffer if you are setting off from the busy streets around the central markets.

Direct and connecting flights to Hat Yai

Use the direct-flight filter on your search to see nonstop options between Singapore and Hat Yai when they are on sale. Connecting itineraries usually route through Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur, and they can be a handy fallback when nonstop seats sell out around public holidays. If you connect in Bangkok, check which of the capital's two airports each leg uses, because a change of airport needs a separate transfer across the city.

Some travellers also fly into Hat Yai and continue by road to Songkhla, the islands of Satun or across the border into northern Malaysia. Comparing a few arrival and departure times on the schedule table helps you line up those onward plans.

When to fly to Hat Yai

Hat Yai has a hot, humid tropical climate all year. The drier stretch from around February to April brings the most sunshine, though the middle of the day can be very hot. From about October to December the north-east monsoon brings heavy rain to this side of the peninsula, and short downpours are common for much of the rest of the year.

Demand from Singapore rises during the June and December school holidays and over Chinese New Year, when many families head north for a food-and-shopping trip. Songkran in April and the city's lantern and Chinese festivals are lively times to visit but also busy locally. For better-value fares, look at the monthly price chart on this page and consider flying midweek outside those peaks.

Popular places in Hat Yai

Kim Yong Market

This covered market in the city centre is the classic first stop. Stalls are packed with dried seafood, nuts, snacks, cosmetics, electronics and clothing, and the streets around it are full of food vendors, making it a good place to stock up on edible souvenirs.

Hat Yai Municipal Park

Set on a green hillside at the edge of the city, the park is known for its large standing Guanyin statue and several Buddhist and Chinese shrines spread across the slopes. Viewpoints near the top look out across the whole of Hat Yai, and in the cooler evenings the park is a favourite spot with local families.

Khlong Hae Floating Market

On weekend afternoons and evenings, vendors paddle small boats along a canal and sell grilled snacks, desserts and drinks straight from the water. It is a relaxed, photogenic outing, best enjoyed with an empty stomach.

Wat Hat Yai Nai

This temple is home to a very large reclining Buddha, one of the best known in southern Thailand. It is a calm place for a short visit, and modest clothing covering shoulders and knees is expected inside.

Songkhla Old Town and Samila Beach

A short drive away, the provincial capital of Songkhla has sleepy shophouse streets painted with murals, and Samila Beach with its famous mermaid statue. It makes an easy half-day trip for anyone wanting sea air after the crowds of Hat Yai.

Where to stay in Hat Yai

Most visitors base themselves in the compact city centre, around the Niphat Uthit roads and the streets near Kim Yong Market and the railway station. This area puts markets, massage shops and late-night food within walking distance. Travellers who want newer shopping malls and quieter streets often stay a little outside the central grid, while those planning beach time may prefer to split their stay with a few nights in Songkhla town.

Food to try in Hat Yai

Hat Yai fried chicken

The city's signature dish is chicken marinated with garlic and spices, fried until crisp and topped with a pile of golden fried shallots. It is usually eaten with sticky rice and a sweet chilli dip.

Dim sum breakfast

Hat Yai's Chinese heritage shows in its morning dim sum shops, where baskets of dumplings, buns and rolls arrive with pots of tea. Locals go early, and the best places are busy soon after sunrise.

Khao mok gai

A southern Thai take on chicken biryani, this fragrant yellow rice is cooked with spices and served with tender chicken and a tangy green sauce. It reflects the Muslim food traditions of the region.

Roti and teh tarik

Street stalls flip crisp roti through the day and into the night, served plain, with egg, with banana or drizzled with condensed milk. A glass of pulled milk tea completes a very familiar snack for visitors from Singapore.

Book your Hat Yai trip with Traveloka

Compare cheap flights to Hat Yai from Singapore, set a Price Alert if your dates are flexible, and choose from local payment methods at checkout. Your e-ticket arrives by email, Easy Reschedule is available on eligible fares, and 24/7 customer service is on hand if your plans change before you fly.