SYDNEY - HUDNREDS of Australian holidaymakers stranded on the Thai resort island of Phuket are expected to head home on Monday after budget airline Jetstar said it would send a chartered plane to collect them.

Some 300 Australians are among the 15,000 passengers who were trapped in Phuket when political protesters shut down the airport on Friday, forcing the cancellation of some 120 daily flights.

The airport reopened late on Sunday, freeing Jetstar to send the emergency charter flight which will pick up the Australians.

The budget off-shoot of Australian carrier Qantas said its regular thrice-weekly Sydney-Phuket service was also expected to resume later on Monday.

'It (the situation) is resolving itself for sure,' a spokesman for the airline told AFP. 'We think that we will get everybody home over the course of tomorrow (Tuesday).'

Thailand has been troubled by anti-government protests since Tuesday, when thousands of demonstrators rampaged through Bangkok's historic district and invaded the offices of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and demanded he resign.

The rallies then spread to key tourist regions, with protesters shutting down airports in Phuket, nearby Krabi and in the southern commercial centre of Hat Yai. All three airports have since resumed services. -- AFP