Flights from Phuket to Bangkok to resume for sandbox tourists next month

Domestic flights from Phuket to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports are set to resume next month, according to the Transport Ministry. The Bangkok Post reports that the flights are being given the green light to facilitate the travel needs of tourists in Phuket as part of the island’s sandbox re-opening scheme.

On July 21, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand banned commercial domestic flights to the “dark red” provinces, amid a surge in Covid-19 cases. The ban caught tourists and residents on Phuket off-guard, leaving many with no choice but to make the arduous journey by road. The Bangkok Post reports that the CAAT is expected to ease the ban at Bangkok’s 2 airports, in order to help Phuket’s sandbox tourists.

However, arrivals from Phuket who wish to travel to Bangkok or neighbouring provinces will be subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine first. Those who are flying home from Bangkok will not be permitted to leave the airport, but the maximum transit period has been increased from 12 to 24 hours.

Responding to the CAAT’s decision, Thai Airways has announced it will operate 2 flights a week connecting Bangkok and Phuket until October. TG922 will fly from Bangkok to Phuket every Thursday, while TG916 will depart from Phuket every Friday. It’s understood the flights will be operational from next month.

According to the Bangkok Post report, the carrier is also planning a weekly return Bangkok-Phuket-Frankfurt flight that will depart Bangkok every Thursday, along with a Bangkok-Phuket-London return flight leaving Bangkok on Fridays. The airline also has another 2 routes in the works, Bangkok-Paris-Phuket-Bangkok, departing Bangkok every Thursday, and Bangkok-Zurich-Phuket-Bangkok, departing Bangkok every Friday.

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

SOURCE: Bangkok Post