Transport News
Thailand transport news, infrastructure updates, public transit, and traffic reports—stay informed on groundbreaking developments and real-time travel updates. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for transport news in Thailand.
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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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NokScoot downsizes, airlines ask for financial help
Travel restrictions and flight cancellations across the globe have caused once busy sky traffic to go quiet as airlines are taking a battering from the coronavirus outbreak. Less of the bird-like, yellow beaked planes will be in the air as the popular budget airline NokScoot just announced it’s downsizing their fleet and laying off employees to try and keep the…
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UPDATE: Pregnant woman killed in hit-and-run, driver surrenders
UPDATE: Today, the car mechanic who ran over and killed a pregnant woman on Sunday handed himself over to the police. Police in Bangkok’s Min Buri district had previously issued an arrest warrant for 48 year old Kawin Sathorn, for running over a woman who was 5 months pregnant. The 21 year old victim, Nadiyah, was on a motorbike with her…
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U-tapao and Eastern Airport City deal officially signed
The deal for a public/private partnership for the U-tapao International Airport and Eastern Airport City projects has been officially signed. The agreement is between the Eastern Economic Corridor Office of Thailand and U-tapao International Aviation Company. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha chaired the signing ceremony yesterday at Government House. The deal is for a major infrastructure project to upgrade U-tapao, which serves…
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CAAC chief: International flights unlikely before September
Dashing hopes that international arrivals (code for ‘tourist flights’) could resume on July 1, Thailand’s senior civilian aviation regulator says that they’re are likely to resume as late as September. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand’s director says none of the airlines he’s met expressed any interest in resuming international flights next month, when the order shutting down the country’s…
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Aviation authorities to talk about the return of international flights, business trips first
Aviation authorities will talk to international airlines today about resuming flights into Thailand. So far, business trips will be allowed first and tourists from low-risk countries while be allowed later. More details about the re-opening of Thailand’s borders will be discussed at a CCSA meeting tomorrow. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, or CAAT, will discuss safety measures to prevent…
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Rubber roads will help Thai growers, increase safety
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha chaired the signing ceremony of an agreement to use local Thai rubber in road construction, part of an effort to help the country’s financially strapped rubber farmers. Prayut praised the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives as well as Prince of Songkhla University, the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research, the…
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Phuket Airport is open for business. Flights available today.
Phuket International Airport is open from today. This island’s airport, closed from the start of April, re-opened just after midnight. Not that there are many scheduled flights today. It looks like the announcement from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand caught the airlines by surprise as well but the airlines may add flights quickly to take advantage of the earlier…
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Transport Company resumes service, bans foreigners
The wheels on the bus go round and round. But not for foreigners living in Thailand. The Transport Company, the state operator of intercity bus services, announced today that foreigners are banned from its services due to the Emergency Decree. Although services have resumed on most of their routes across the country, foreign travellers are not allowed to board because…
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“Gold Line” monorail will bring more mass transport to the Chao Phraya west bank
The construction of Thailand’s first monorail, aka. “Gold Line” in Charoen Nakhon area in Thon Buri, is causing some traffic congestion in the area. The developer, Krungthep Thanakom, is making up for lost time still hope to meet the October deadline for the new Gold Line to officially open. The project has been delayed due to the Covid-19 outbreak and lockdowns, when…
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All public transport allowed to resume
The Transport Ministry today allowed all public transport, including buses, trains and planes to resume, to meet the people’s demand for travel, with the exception of some provinces that have not ended lockdown measures. The ministry’s deputy permanent secretary says the move is in line with the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s third phase of relaxation of Emergency Decree restrictions.…
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4 new BTS stations open, free until the end of the year
The BTS Skytrain is as ubiquitous in Bangkok as great street food and fake Viagra, and it’s now added 4 new stops to extend its reach. The new BTS Green Line extension, running fro Mor Chit station and Khu Khot station in Rangsit, opened to the public today. The new extension was officially launched by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha this morning,…
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Battered Thai Airways seeks government protection from creditors
Struggling national flag carrier Thai Airways is seeking government support in 4 key areas, including negotiating with foreign creditors and renegotiating contracts with other state enterprises. The director-general of the State Enterprise Policy Office said yesterday that the airline is seeking state help after the Central Bankruptcy Court accepted its request for rehabilitation. The airline also wants the government to…
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Powering up tuk tuks for a new era in Bangkok
Electric tuk-tuks have been in use in cities around Thailand for some time, but now the Thai Electric Vehicle Association has launched a new post-Covid-19 electric tricycle as an alternative form of public transportation in the “new normal” era, and supports the vehicle to promote Thai tourism after the national lockdown is fully lifted. EVAT sees the three-wheeled transport as…
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Tourist and environment groups share concerns for new access piers for Maya Bay
The Chairman of Krabi Tourism Industry Council has shared his concerns about new piers and landing facilities on Koh Phi Phi Ley after being made aware that the Department of National Parks had the initiative to build a pier so tourist can travel by foot to Loh Samah Bay area behind Maya Bay, Ao Nang Subdistrict, Muang District, Krabi. Maya…
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Phuket officially reopens Monday, but with restrictions
Phuket is scheduled to reopen to outsiders on Monday, to coincide with the start of Phase 3 of the easing of Emergency Decree restrictions enacted to fight the spread of Covid-19. It will also be a pleasant respite for the islanders who have been cooped up on the island since the last week of March. Phuket’s outgoing governor says his…
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Nakhonchaiair to resume interprovincial bus services from Monday
In a move bound to thrill many Thais stranded away from their home provinces by the Covid-19 crisis and the Emergency Decree, interprovincial buses operated by Nakhonchaiair will resume service from Monday. The company’s CEO made the announcement today. She added that social distancing measures will be strictly enforced in the seating of passengers, all of whom who will also…
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Thai Airways can’t refund 24 billion baht in unused tickets
Thai Airways’ recent declaration of bankruptcy and debt rehabilitation has left many holders of unused tickets high and dry. The carrier grounded its fleet in early April due to the Covid-19 crisis, and is now unable to refund tickets purchased for the period since. The troubled national flag carrier’s PR department said yesterday it is unable to offer refunds at…
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Security chief says country to reopen July 1
The chief of Thailand’s National Security Council announced today that Thailand has set July 1 for the end of all “business and activity lockdowns” ordered to cope with the Covid-19 crisis, include provincial and international travel. The announcement also included the end of the Emergency Decree and curfews, Bangkok Post reports. NSC Secretary-General Somsak Rungsita says the lift of restrictions…
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Thousands of people have been travelling between provinces
… but not quite as many as before, so far. The Director General of the Department of Land Transport says that more people have been using the inter-provincial buses services after the government recently easing Thailands’ lock down situation. He says… “Although some long distance services are still not in operation to comply with the night time curfew, many inter-provincial…
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Thai Airways has officially lost its state enterprise status
The State Enterprise Policy Committee announced that Thai Airways has lost its state enterprise status after the Vayupak Fund bought a 3.17% stake from the Finance Ministry yesterday. The purchase was undertaken at a price of 4.90 baht per share, with a trade worth 285.2 million baht, leaving the national carrier owning 48% of its own shares and stripping its…
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Thai Airways to lay off 30% of its staff
“THAI will stop repaying all debt and start from scratch.” The government announced today that Thai Airways will have to dismiss more than 6,000 employees after entering into receivership proceedings and a debt moratorium of 200 billion baht. The Cabinet decided to push Thai Airways into a bankruptcy procedure under the Bankruptcy Act and ordered the Ministry of Finance to…
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Thai Airways union says it won’t oppose bankruptcy proceedings
“We opposed this position before but after reexamination, we have to show creditors that Thai Airways will genuinely follow the restructuring plan. Including adjustments to the board and staff.” In an abrupt reversal, the president of Thai Airways’ labour union announced yesterday that the union won’t oppose the government’s plan to reduce holdings in the airline and restructure the carrier…
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More trouble for ailing Thai Airways as Airbus calls in its debts
Even as struggling national flag carrier Thai Airways strives to come up with blueprint for financial recovery, Airbus is calling in its debts on 30 aircraft rented by the airline. Thailand’s deputy transport minister says the company’s debts were checked on May 15, when documents showed that Airbus is trying to collect debts for rental of 30 airplanes as the…
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Thai Airways’ credit rating downgraded
The credit rating for Thai Airways will be downgraded before bankruptcy restructuring takes place. Tris Rating (Thai Rating and Information Services) has downgraded the company rating for Thai Airways and its rating for Thai Airway’s senior unsecured debentures from “BBB” to “C” while maintaining a negative Credit Alert. Following the government’s resolution yesterday it seems that the national carrier has…
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Cabinet gives the green light for Thai Airways to file for bankruptcy
Today PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has announced that the Cabinet approved the proposal from the Ministry of Transport that Thai Airways can file for bankruptcy at the Central Bankruptcy Court in order to be rehabilitated under the Bankruptcy Act. “It was the best course to help the troubled airline back onto its feet. Under the rehabilitation plan, Thai Airways will not…
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Global aviation in acute crisis
by Andrew J Wood “…by the end of May 2020 most airlines in the world will be bankrupt.” Global aviation has been battered and commercial scheduled air traffic remains mostly grounded as countries enforce their lockdowns and travel restrictions. There are few signs that the end is in sight. For the largest of carriers like IAG (British Airways), United, American…
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Registration steps for travel to or from Phuket
Although Phuket is still trying to maintain strict measures to control the spread of the Coronavirus and the island is still under a modified lock down. According to local Thai media you can apply to enter or leave the island with 2 methods of registration, Thai or foreigner. OPTION ONE. Departures from other provinces, travelling to Phuket, or people living…
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Thai Airways ponders bankruptcy as it enters rehab
Thai Airways, which turns 60 years old this month, recorded a net loss of US$66 million in 2017, US$361 million in 2018 and US$374 million last year. As the airline contemplates getting its grounded planes back in the air, it’s now confronted with a PR disaster at home as the government ponders a bailout valued around 60 billion baht, around US$1.8…
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Ban on international travel into Thailand extended until June 30
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has today announced an extension of their current ban on international travel another month, until at least the end of June, 2020. The current ban on scheduled international flights was extended last month to cover May, up to May 31. But now the CAAT have announced the extension for at least another month. There…
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Thai public balks at Thai Airways’ 60 billion bail out
A big decision is on the horizon for Thai Airways, the beleaguered national carrier. Crucial decisions are now being discussed which will define the airlines’ future. The airline was still haemorrhaging cash well before the coronavirus crisis started grounding planes from the start of February this year. Thai Airways’ fortunes have been in a death spiral for the past decade,…
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