Smokin’ setback: Forest fires force Bangkok Airways flight cancellations

Bangkok Airways had to cancel six flights at Mae Hong Son Airport this month due to smoke arising from widespread forest fires in the province.

Bangkok Airways yesterday, March 18, cancelled flight PG 205, which runs from Bangkok to Lampang and then Mae Hong Son because the thick smoke affected the pilots’ visibility. Chiang Mai News reported that the flight had been cancelled six times since the beginning of March due to the ongoing forest fire situation.

According to the media, the cancellation affected tourism and businesses, not only in Mae Hong Son but also in Lampang, as this flight route is connected.

Naewna reported yesterday that 277 hotspots were discovered in Mae Hong Son, indicating that the forest fire situation in the province remains concerning.

The concentration of dust particles smaller than 2.5 microns was measured at 294 microgrammes per cubic metre, exceeding the standard value by seven times. This marked the highest recorded amount among the northern provinces of Thailand.

A firefighting team from the southern province of Nakhon Si Thamarat was dispatched to assist the team in Mae Hong Son. Most of the forest fires were situated on high mountains, making them challenging to discern and leading to heightened levels of smoke and dust.

The director of the Srisangwan Hospital in Mae Hong Son, Somsak Uthaipibun, told SiamRath that he and other medical workers distributed free face masks to patients and their families at the hospital yesterday because the forest fire situation this year was worse.

Somsak reported that many patients sought treatment for respiratory illness and skin allergies due to forest fires. He added that eight patients with critical conditions at the hospital are suffering from respiratory illness and pneumonia.

Multiple forest fires were also reported in Chiang Mai and other provinces in northern Thailand. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin recently visited Chiang Mai to discuss solutions to the forest fires and PM 2.5 pollution issues.

The PM offered two million face masks to firefighters in the province as a token of appreciation for their dedication to firefighting missions and urged relevant departments to provide proper welfare to the teams.

Former Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat also travelled to Chiang Mai and joined the firefighting team to help control the forest fires in the Mae Wang district of the province on March 17.