Transport News
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Northern Thailand’s Chiang Rai Airport to resume flights on Wednesday
Flights in and out of Chiang Rai’s Mae Fah Luang International Airport in northern Thailand are expected to resume as normal on Wednesday, August 3, at 10pm. The runway has been closed since 6am yesterday after a Nok Air Boeing 737-800 aircraft skidded off the runway during landing due to adverse weather conditions on Saturday night. No one was injured.…
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Aviation industry eyes 33% recovery this year, 100% in 2024
Airports of Thailand (AoT) says the aviation industry is making steady progress in recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic and is forecasting a full recovery by the end of 2024. The AoT believe that in a year and a half, airplane and passenger traffic will finally recover to the levels they were at in 2019. The current prediction is that flight…
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2 men die in tragic rail accident in central Thailand
Two men were killed in a tragic accident this morning after being hit by a train in Sara Buri province, in central Thailand. One man stumbled and fell on a rail track while trying to cross it. Another man, seeing him fall, went to assist him but they both didn’t make it and were hit by the oncoming train at…
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Thai government agrees to continue subsidising diesel prices past July
The Oil Fuel Fund board has resolved to keep diesel prices around Bangkok and immediate provinces at 34.94 baht per litre until the end of July. The government, via the OFF Board, have been subsiding the country’s diesel prices since they started to rocket due to the current global fuel price crisis. The government, or specifically Thai taxpayers, have been…
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Nok Air to make Chiang Mai a new global destination hub
Nok Air announced it is turning Chaing Mai International Airport, in the northern province of Chaing Mai, into a new hub of domestic and global routes. The airline yesterday invited Chaing Mai Governor, Wuttiphum Julangkun, and the media to a press conference at Chiang Mai City Hall, at the Chang Phueak in the Mueng Chiang Mai District, to discuss the…
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Investigation begins into Thailand’s latest maritime incident off Chumpon
Thailand has logged another maritime mishap with the fire on a passenger ferry, about 5 kilometres off the coast of Chumpon. The sea conditions were reported as “rough” at the time of the incident off the uninhabited Koh Thong Lang. This time 20 people were on board, but the 18 passengers jumped into the water and were all rescued. A…
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18 passengers rescued after ferry explodes off South Thailand coast
Eighteen people were rescued after a ferry exploded on its way from Chumpon to Koh Tao today at about 2.30pm. All 18 passengers suffered injuries. The ferry, named Lom Phraya, caught fire about 4-5 kilometres off the coast of the Haad Sai Ree sub-district, Mueng district in Chumpon province in the south of Thailand. The rescue team reported on its…
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Electric vehicles are now available to rent in Phuket, Thailand
Phuket has entered a new era of sustainability by welcoming the island’s first ever rentable 100% electric vehicle (EV). Tourists can rent the Nissan Leaf from SIXT Thailand and cruise around Phuket without producing any harmful emissions at all. SIXT Thailand partnered with InterContinental Phuket Resort on the project, who have installed a series of EV charging stations compatible with…
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Cash-strapped BMTA gets green light for 7.5 billion baht loan
The Thai Cabinet approved a more than 7.5 billion baht loan to the debt-ridden Bangkok Mass Transit Authority. Deputy Government Spokesperson, Trisuree Trisaranakul, yesterday reported that the cash-strapped BMTA would borrow 7.516 billion baht from the next year’s budget because it lacked financial liquidity. Trisuree added that BMTA has been facing cash-flow problems due to operational losses and lack of…
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Doubts over Thailand’s 2028 completion date for high speed rail link
Despite last week’s announcement that the high-speed railway from Bangkok to the Laos border would be completed by 2028, there remain lingering doubts about whether the Thai government is fully committed to the project, valued at about US$12 billion. Questions are being raised about perceived benefits to Thailand or how the government can recover any of the costs. The new…
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Thailand aims to complete high-speed rail link with China by 2028
Thailand aims to finish constructing the high-speed rail link which will connect China with the Land of Smiles by 2028, according to the Transport and Foreign Affairs ministries. As it stands, the project is only 5% complete – casting doubts on Thailand’s ability to fulfil their recent pledge to get the job done in the next six years. Beijing plans…
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Thai Airways’ revenue finally takes off
Thai Airways’ July progress report reveals a promising outlook for Thailand’s flag carrier, which expects to exit its financial rehabilitation plan earlier than planned. The airline’s revenue has shot up due to increased passenger traffic, but cutting costs, selling stock, and chasing debts have been Thai Airways’ secrets to getting back on track. After improving its performance, Thai Airways submitted…
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CAAT allows food and drinks to be served on domestic flights in Thailand
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has given airlines the green light to serve food and drinks again on domestic flights in Thailand. Yesterday, the CAAT announced that director Sutthiphong Kongpool signed regulations to allow passengers on domestic flights in Thailand to be served food and drinks again, under strict Covid-19 prevention measures, effective immediately. The measures include that…
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Ferry routes resume operation in Surat Thani after storms
After all boats in Surat Thani were cancelled on Monday due to storms, with partial service resuming yesterday, Ferry routes are in full service today – though scrambling and late. In addition to the ferries that had been running before the fierce and windy storms shut everything down, Seatran Ferry has relaunched its service to Koh Phangan from the mainland…
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Thailand gets into gear with 234 billion baht road investment
The Ministry of Transport got into gear yesterday and agreed to invest in five road construction projects worth about 234 billion baht to make life easier for Thailand’s car owners. The Ministry of Transport signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Highways (DH), Department of Rural Roads (DRR), and Expressway Authority of Thailand (Exat), to oversee the first…
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Taxi driver punches woman after she requests him to go faster
A Bangkok taxi driver is wanted for assault after he punched a female passenger in the face after she asked him to speed up a little bit. The Facebook page, อยากดังเดี๋ยวจัดให้ รีเทริน์, Let Me Know If You Want to Be Famous Return Part 3, posted a video of the male taxi driver attacking his female passenger who recorded the incident.…
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Free parking at Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport during July holidays
Suvarnabhumi International Airport announced that free parking will be available at its long term car park at Zone C – which can accommodate 718 vehicles – during two long holidays this month. Parking will be free for 6 days from midnight on July 12 until midnight on July 18 in celebration of Asanha Bucha day (July 13) and the beginning…
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Petrol prices in Bangkok reduced tomorrow
Good news for Bangkok motorists as the PTT Oil and Retail Business today announced the cost of petrol will be reduced from tomorrow (Friday) morning. The retail prices of petrol and all types of gasohol except E85 will drop by 3 baht per litre, E85 by 1.8 baht per litre, at 5am tomorrow. It’s not all good news for motorists…
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200 new electric buses will be in service in the Thai capital
The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority will partner with private companies to run over 200 electric buses to increase capacity so it can transport up to a million people each day. The new electric buses are also part of the city’s efforts to upgrade its old bus services and reduce Bangkok’s overall carbon footprint. The new electric bus system will rapidly…
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Confused car finds itself driving a steep narrow pedestrian bridge
We’ve all been there, driving along, spaced-out, and minding our own business, when we suddenly find ourselves driving on a pedestrian path with motorbikes honking and warning us. If this scenario hasn’t happened to you consider yourself luckier than a driver in Samut Sakhon, who ended up haplessly driving a car halfway across a narrow bridge intended only for pedestrians…
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AirAsia Thailand resumes Bangkok – Hong Kong flights, pilots new China route
In August, Thai AirAsia will resume direct flights between Bangkok and Hong Kong. The airline will also pilot a special flight to Guangzhou in China this month, on July 13. Thai AirAsia is a joint venture between Thailand’s Asia Aviation and budget Malaysian airline AirAsia. The airline will operate weekly flights between Bangkok’s Don Muang International Airport and Hong Kong…
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Unvaccinated tourist turned away at check-in desk en route to Thailand
An unvaccinated tourist en route to Thailand was turned away at the check-in desk at Manchester Airport in England on Saturday after an airline didn’t get the memo about Thailand’s updated entry restrictions. If you are unvaccinated and plan to travel to Thailand, The Thaiger has advice about how to avoid this happening to you. Thailand Pass was scrapped on…
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Runway temporarily closed for repair, flights to and from Phuket affected
Last evening Phuket International Airport closed for 2 hours whilst quick repairs were made to the runway. Earlier in the day, small cracks were found on the tarmac causing airport officials to postpone some flights and divert others that were on their way to Phuket. Repairs were made on the runway between 5 – 7pm as repairs were affected by…
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Thai taxi drivers protest against extended GrabBike deadline
Bangkok motorcycle Taxi riders and Taxi drivers today burned their orange safety vests in protest of the Transport Ministry’s decision to extend the licence of GrabBike riders for 2 more months. The company announced last week that every one of their Grab riders must register as a public transport operator and change their registration plates from white to yellow if…
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Thai PM promises to accelerate Thailand’s electric vehicle future
The Thai PM wants to cement Thailand’s reputation as the biggest SE Asian hub for car manufacturing, and electric cars too. Currently Thailand is the world’s 10th largest manufacturer of vehicles (OICA 2021). Some of the world’s leading automobile manufacturers – Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Suzuki, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Ford, Volvo and BMW – have manufacturing plants in Thailand. Last…
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Pop star demands to know why her pet dog died on Thai flight
Thai pop star Prompwilai “Mimi” Leesiriroj has demanded an explanation from Thai Airways, and China Eastern, as to why her pet dog, Melody, died while travelling on a flight from Thailand to China on Friday. The 22 year old singer, also known as Mimi Lee, found stardom in China after she won a reality TV show called Produce 101 China,…
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Bus shortages in Bangkok causing longer waits for commuters
The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority has confirmed that there are severe bus shortages on roughly 27 routes around the city and that nearly 90% of commuters have experienced delays. After receiving a number of complaints from the public, the BMTA found issues with fare collection, driver shortages, maintenance on buses, and the poor management of the schedule. There are 2,885…
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Passengers still required to wear face masks on BTS Skytrain
Bangkok’s BTS Skytrain operator today insisted that all passengers still have to wear a face mask on their trains and around the platform area despite an announcement on the Royal Gazette platform that face mask wearing is now voluntary in Thailand. The Royal Gazette last night surprised people in Thailand with the official announcement that wearing masks is voluntary in…
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Grab bike ‘taxis’ forced to get commercial licenses in Thailand
A win for ‘Win’ motorcycle taxi riders today after new rules force Grab riders into the same transportation regulations. Of course, the new rules will probably force up the prices for Grab bikes from next month when the app-based ride-hailing service will have to comply with the same rules governing ‘Win Motocy’ motorcycle taxi riders. The orange-safety-vest-clad Win drivers are…
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BEAM me up! App-based electric scooters come to Phuket
by John Magee What costs 200 baht in a taxi but 30 baht on a BEAM? Chances are that you’ve seen these little purple scooters BEAMing around Phuket, particularly in the Laguna area, Patong, and Phuket Town. Indeed, they are appearing in growing numbers not only in Thailand but also, for starters, in Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Turkey, and…
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