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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Eight celebrities to join Japanese tycoon in space venture around the moon
Eight celebrities have been chosen to join eccentric Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa next year on an ambitious plan to fly around the moon. Maezawa announced on Twitter today that he will be accompanied by an unorthodox crew of DJ and producer Steve Aoki of the United States, US YouTuber Tim Dodd, Czech artist Yemi AD, Irish photographer Rhiannon Adam, British…
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Last jumbo – the last Boeing 747 leaves the gate
After 50 years of production, the last Boeing 747, perhaps the world’s most iconic aircraft, rolled out of Boeing’s massive factory in Everett, Washington, on Tuesday night. The final customer is cargo carrier Atlas Air, which ordered four 747-8 freighters early this year. The 747 jumbo jet has taken on a wide variety of roles during its lifetime. It’s a…
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Thailand pushes for more international flights as tourism surges
Thailand’s Transport Ministry is under orders to request more international flights to the country as tourism surges. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-chat issued the order for the ministry to contact international flight carriers on the same day he noted that tourism is on the road to recovery. According to the government, the country has seen around 10 million foreign arrivals up…
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CAAT warns Thai VietJet for cancelling three Phuket – Bangkok flights in one day
UPDATE The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has warned Thai VietJet that the airline will be punished if it doesn’t start complying with aviation rules. The warning comes after Thai VietJet cancelled three services on its Bangkok – Phuket route on Thursday. A flight from Bangkok to Phuket was cancelled due to accumulated delays at Suvarnabhumi Airport, says Thai…
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A few good apples – Taxi drivers are not all bad
Taxi drivers are not all bad. A Pattaya motorbike-taxi driver handed into police a foreigner’s wallet he found. The wallet contained about 18,000 baht. Identification found inside the purse was Franz-Joseph (surname withheld), a German national. The wallet contained 320 euros (12,000 baht) and 6,150 baht (US$180). The honest taxi driver, Amnuay Plungklang, contacted the media last week to publicise…
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Disruptive Phuket-bound passenger thrown off flight in Karachi
A disruptive Phuket-bound passenger on a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul was thrown off the aircraft yesterday and arrested after the flight diverted to Pakistan’s Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. After the passenger was taken into custody by local law enforcement, the flight continued to Phuket. Turkish Airlines flight TK-172 on an Airbus A330 diverted to Karachi three hours into the…
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Air Canada’s Vancouver-Bangkok flight touches down Thailand
Air Canada’s Vancouver-Bangkok flight touched down in the Kingdom of Thailand early this morning and, for the first time in 10 years, there is a nonstop flight between North America and Thailand. On December 1 at 11pm local time, the Air Canada Boeing 787 Dreamliner AC65 took off from Vancouver International Airport to begin its 15-hour and 55-minute journey to…
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Bangkok airport expansion prepares for bidding war
Bidding will open next year on Bangkok’s airport expansion at Suvarnabhumi International and Don Mueang International, according to Thailand’s transport minister Saksayam Chidchob. The expansions are needed to meet rising demand since Thailand dropped COVID entry restrictions on October 1 this year. Some 3 million passengers used Thai airports in October, compared with average monthly traffic of about 1.2 million…
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Thai Vietjet plans new routes to China, India, Japan, Vietnam
Thai Vietjet has big plans for next year with new routes in the pipeline to destinations in China, India, Japan, and Vietnam. Woranate Laprabang, chief executive of TVJ said… “We want to be driving the Thai economy by bringing in more foreign tourists.” Domestic flights accounted for about a third of flights operated by the airline this year. At the…
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Thai AirAsia Melbourne and Sydney connections take to the air
Australians can expect cheaper flights to Thailand, thanks to the arrival of a Thai AirAsia X on the busy Melbourne and Sydney routes. For the first time since the pandemic began, a non-stop Melbourne to Bangkok flight took off yesterday afternoon from Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport. The budget airline’s first flight on its new Sydney to Bangkok route departed today. Thai…
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Driving licence point deductions starting next year in Thailand
Driving licence point deductions will start next year in Thailand to help curb traffic violations and dangerous driving. Starting January 9, 2023, the Royal Thai Police and Land Transport Department will enforce the demerit point system. Each driving license holder will be given 12 points to start with but will be deducted for each violation they are caught committing. The…
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Bangkok BTS Skytrain fares to increase next year
Global inflation is rising and so is the cost of a ticket on Bangkok’s BTS Skytrain. The BTS Skytrain will get a little bit pricier on January 1, 2023, according to an announcement made by the Bangkok Transit System Corporation (BTSC) today. Fares on the Sukhumvit (Mo Chit – On Nut) and Silom (National Stadium – Saphan Taksin) lines will…
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Cat out of the bag – Stowaway found in JFK passenger’s luggage
Security staff at John F. Kennedy International Airport were shocked this weekend to discover a live cat hiding inside someone’s luggage. The discovery was made as the bag passed through the airport X-ray machine and the outline of the cat could be clearly seen. After spotting a cat, security staff took the case to one side for further investigation. The…
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Thai Airways appoint new CEO
Thai Airways appointed CFO Chai Eamsiri as CEO. Chai will take up his new role on February 1. Chai was chosen from 53 internal and external candidates, including domestic and international aviation executives. The recruitment processes involved psychometric testing for leadership capability. Applicants also presented their vision for the company to the selection committee. With an MBA from Kasetsart University…
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F35 fighter jets head RTAF wish list
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is keen to buy two shiny black F35 fighter jets from the United States. Despite outcry from opposition parties, F35 fighter jets head RTAF’s wish list. The decision now rests with the US Congress which is yet to confirm whether Thailand is a good enough friend to receive such sought-after toys. The plane’s technology…
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High-risk drivers to get full access to Tesla’s driver assistance system
High-risk drivers in North America are now allowed full access to Tesla’s controversial driver-assistance system in a move that has some questioning the company’s intentions. Previously, the feature was only approved for buyers who were considered safe drivers, whatever that means, in North America, but now it is available to all. CEO Elon Musk says the Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta…
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AirAsia Thailand passenger data allegedly leaked after ransomware attack
AirAsia group allegedly fell victim to a ransomware attack that leaked the personal data of five million passengers and all staff of AirAsia Thailand, AirAsia Malaysia, and AirAsia Indonesia. The Daixin Team, a ransomware and data extortion group, allegedly leaked the data after the airline refused to pay a ransom. On Monday, the Daixin Team was the focus of a…
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Cathay Pacific boosts flights to Thailand
Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways and its budget subsidiary Hong Kong Express are boosting flights to three major tourist destinations in Thailand: Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai. Cathay’s Hong Kong – Bangkok route will be increased from twice to four times per day next month, according to Chairman of Cathay Pacific Patrick Healy. In January, the airline will…
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Royal Thai Air Force airbus sets flight record
A Royal Thai Air Force Airbus A340-500 completed what appears to be the longest flight ever operated by the aircraft. The record-breaking flight took place with much less fanfare than Singapore Airlines’ commercial record in 2018. The flight from Bangkok to Charlotte, North Carolina, took 18 hours and 14 minutes and covered 14,555 kilometres. The flight landed on Wednesday, November…
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Taxi app gaff sends passengers to wrong airport causing 10,000 baht loss
A Thai woman filed a complaint with the police, and the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB), after a taxi driver from the Gosabuy application dropped her at the wrong airport. It cost her over 10,000 baht as a result and got only 2,000 baht in compensation. The passenger, 51 year old Aranya Kaewma, told Thairath that she booked flights…
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Judge rules MH17 plane crash over Ukraine result of deliberate Russian missile
A Dutch court has ruled that the 2014 MH17 plane crash in Ukraine was a result of a Russian-backed missile. The findings conclude that the missile was fired by an armed group under Russian control, ending in the deaths of 298 people. According to the BBC, the court acknowledged that the missile was meant for a military aircraft but hit…
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Rich pickings – Emirates to offer first-class vegan meals
In celebration of World Vegan Day on November 1, and to please members of the growing vegan community rich enough to travel first-class, Emirates Airlines now offers first-class vegan meals. Unfortunately, the fanfare around plant-based meals will not be heard by ordinary passengers in a coach who will still have to order in advance or eat (or avoid) the mystery…
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Thai airline oversells tickets on domestic flight causing passengers to miss wedding
Four passengers looking forward to a wedding sadly didn’t make it in time after a Thai airline allegedly oversold tickets on a domestic flight from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok to Udon Thani in northeast Thailand this morning. At 8am, Phaiboon Sawanprai – a subdistrict chief from Rayong province – told reporters that he had bought four valid plane tickets via…
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THAI Airways makes resurgence with addition of nine more aeroplanes next year
THAI Airways International Plc (THAI), is making a resurgence after it says 60% of its pre-pandemic fleet has resumed service. The company says nine more aeroplanes will be in service next year as the country’s flag carrier says an increase in travel has helped the ailing carrier. Thai Smile Airways, a subsidiary of THAI has also made a resurgence as…
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SpiceJet launches new direct flight between Thailand and India
Budget Indian airline SpiceJet launched direct flights between Pune in India and Bangkok in Thailand operating four days per week. SpiceJet also flies directly from Bangkok to Delhi and Kolkata. A Boeing 737 will operate the Pune – Bangkok service on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Flight SG 82 will depart from the sprawling Indian city of Pune, just south of…
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Airlines ask passengers to arrive early for flights during APEC Summit in Bangkok
Passengers flying out of Don Mueang Airport or Suvarnabhumi Airport between November 14-20 should arrive earlier than usual to facilitate delays caused by the APEC Summit which will be held in Bangkok this week. Nok Air requests that passengers arrive at least three hours ahead of their departure time for international flights and two hours ahead of their scheduled departure…
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Police found train car on Chinese suspect’s mansion grounds
The home of a Chinese man suspected of multiple crimes was raided and police found a range of oddities including a Chinese train car. The 33 year old Shao Xiaobo was accused of using a fake Thai ID and rented a building in Bangkok where he stored suspicious vehicles and is accused of dealing in a variety of questionable businesses.…
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Thai Airways considers reviving stored A380s to meet rising demand
Thailand’s flag carrier Thai Airways International is considering expanding its fleet by reviving two Airbus A380 aircraft stored away for years to meet the rising demand for flights. The airline is “studying closely” the cost-effectiveness of restoring the planes and has not yet committed to a decision, says Airline Commercial Chief Korakot Chatasingha. “As you know, to bring them…and return…
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Taxi fares in Bangkok to increase in two weeks
The Ministry of Transport yesterday approved a motion to increase taxi fares in Bangkok after recent protests by the capital’s cab drivers. The new fares are expected to come into operation in the next two weeks. The Transport Ministry announced a month ago that taxi fares in Thailand would be increased after eight years of stagnation. The department of transport…
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Two Thai airlines among Top 10 most timely in the world
Thailand is not known for its timekeeping, yet two Thai airlines were among the most “on time” in the world in September 2022. The Top 10 Most On-time Airlines were ranked using real data from the Official Airline Guide (OAG) flight database. OAG provides “the world’s most accurate and information-rich flight data.” Flights that leave within 15 minutes of their…
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