Thailand aviation sector optimistic following November 1 re-opening

Following Thailand’s re-opening yesterday to vaccinated tourists from 63 approved countries, the aviation sector is feeling positive. According to a TTR Weekly report, Thai carriers are hopeful that the re-opening will mean they can restore their schedules to pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year.

The current situation is that Thai Air Asia is operating just 10 of its 60-strong fleet, while Bangkok Airways is operating 13 of its 38 aircraft. Prior to yesterday’s re-opening, most flights served Phuket sandbox customers or those using the approved travel corridor between Bangkok and Koh Samui. Changes are now beginning to be seen, with Thai Airways introducing a new winter schedule with increased frequency on routes within Asia and to European destinations.

In 2019, Thailand welcomed around 40 million international visitors. That’s a far cry from this year’s numbers, in which the country will be unlikely to receive 100,000. Last year, Thailand recorded 3 million visitors, but the vast majority of those arrived in the first quarter of the year, before the pandemic took hold.

As of yesterday, Thailand is open with minimal quarantine for vaccinated visitors from 63 approved countries. Travellers will need to remain in their hotel until they receive a negative result from a Covid test taken on arrival. After that, they are free to travel where they like. The move away from the sandbox model and the even more restrictive 14-day quarantine previously required of all arrivals, is expected to kick-start the tourism sector, after 18 months lying dormant.

For more information on how to get into Thailand during the pandemic, CLICK HERE.

SOURCE: TTR Weekly