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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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Thai AirAsia ranked 3rd most on-time low-cost airline in the world
Thai AirAsia is ranked the third most on-time low-cost airline in the world and the most punctual carrier in Asia-Pacific countries in 2022, according to Cirium, a data analytics company in the aviation and travel industry. The average on-time rate reported by Cirium was 97.47% The Chief Executive Officer of Thai AirAsia, Santisuk Klongchaiya, announced the company’s good news yesterday,…
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Daily direct flights between Phuket and Shanghai to takeoff next week
Daily flights between Phuket in southern Thailand and Shanghai in China will takeoff next Wednesday, January 18, operated by Shanghai’s Juneyao Airlines. The inaugural flight will be the first direct service between Phuket and mainland China in almost three years. China reopened its borders yesterday, and given that China was once Thailand’s top tourism market, Thailand braced itself for an…
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Thailand informs airlines about removal of Covid-19 vaccine rule
Unvaccinated travellers heading to Thailand can now feel at ease knowing airlines around the world have been informed that Thailand no longer requires arrivals to prove they are vaccinated against Covid-19. Thailand momentarily reintroduced the two-dose Covid vaccine entry requirement with barely any notice as a measure to mitigate the risk of importing a caseload of coronavirus from China, which…
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Thailand’s second-hand car sales industry predicted to rise modestly
The Association of Used Car (AUC) predicts the second-hand car market in Thailand will increase by 15% this year despite the ongoing shortage of semiconductors needed for the production of new vehicles. The worldwide shortage of semiconductors is exacerbated by a political game of cat and mouse between China and Taiwan. Taiwan is largely known as the semiconductor capital of…
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Driving penalty points system in effect from today
Thailand’s new driving penalty points system will come into effect today but the police are focusing on encouraging general public awareness so they understand the new rules before fully cracking down. The new points system for motorists is aimed at improving traffic law compliance, reducing accidents, and improving road safety, according to the commander of the Highway Police Division. The…
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2 men found frozen in the belly of Colombian plane
An aircraft maintenance technician in Colombia made a shocking discovery. Under the belly of an Avianca plane at the airport in Bogota, the bodies of two young men were frozen to death. The airline technician was inspecting and performing regular maintenance on the aircraft of Colombia’s flagship airline when he was horrified by the corpses. The bodies were found today,…
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Sign of corruption? Bangkok station’s US$1-million name change
When His Majesty the King renamed Bang Sue Grand Station, “Krung Thep Abhiwat Central Terminal,” in September, some quiet questions were asked if the Bangkok station’s US$1-million name change was really necessary. Yesterday, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob has been obliged to assure a puzzled public that an investigation into the 33 million baht (US$1 million) cost of the new nameplate…
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Thailand’s long-distance trains to relocate to new Bangkok rail hub from January 19
The State Railway of Thailand is relocating 52 train services from Hua Lampong Station to Bangkok‘s new central rail hub – Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (formerly Bang Sue Junction) – from January 19. Passengers catching long-distance, rapid and express train services will depart from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district from this date onward. Inbound trains…
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Electric vehicles to hit the accelerator this year, says FTI
The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) predicts a bold future for Thailand’s electric vehicle (EV) industry, unlike the International Monetary Fund which believes the kingdom is heading for a recession. The FTI reckons the EV industry will hit the accelerator this year and sell between 25,000, to 35,000 cars, reports Bangkok Post. But, to achieve that target the EV industry…
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Thailand’s new fighter jets still on horizon
It will be the middle of this year before Thailand’s Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) knows whether or not Washington has approved the sale of F-35A Lightning II fighter jets. RTAF Commander-in-Chief, ACM Alongkorn Wannarot said the air force was still negotiating preparations for the purchase of the jets, but the sale has yet to be approved by Washington. The…
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Indian passengers to be charged over air rage incident on Bangkok-Kolkata flight
Police in India reported that two of the men involved in the air rage incident on a flight from Bangkok to Kolkata will be charged. Bidhannagar City Police, in Kolkata, drew up a First Information Report and slapped an Indian Penal Code charge on the men of assault, wrongful restraint, and criminal intimidation, after a complaint by the Bureau of…
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Free electric buses to Bangkok attractions from today
In a bid to boost visits to tourist attractions in Bangkok, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration created a program to run free electric buses to the floating markets on weekends, starting today. The plan was created to connect the main public transportation lines across Bangkok with nearby tourist attractions. The BMA announced yesterday the new, eco-friendly service that will feed from…
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Aeroflot to launch direct flights from Bangkok to Irkutsk
Russian flag carrier Aeroflot is launching direct flights from Irkutsk in Russia to Bangkok, Thailand, starting January 18, 2023. A Boeing 737-800 will service the route which will run twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with a flight time of 6 hours and 25 minutes. Irkutsk, known as “Paris of Siberia,” is Russia’s 25th-largest city by population. It is the…
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Holiday bus tickets escaping Bangkok close to selling out
More than 90% of bus tickets heading out of Bangkok for the holidays on December 28 and 29 had been sold by yesterday evening. Most advance bookings are for travel to Chiang Mai, Nakhon Phanom in the Northeast and Hat Yai in the South. Sanlak Panwatanalikit, managing director of the state transport company, said Thursday that about 55,000 passengers will…
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AoT app expanding: flight info, taxis, shopping and more
Airports in Thailand are hard at work souping up their travel app in hopes of making it an essential super-app for the incoming flood of tourists. Their “Sawasdee by AoT” app currently provides flight and airport information for people landing at six AoT-run airports. But they plan to add a host of tourism services, to aid the predicted 90 million…
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Thai AirAsia predicts 90% post-pandemic recovery
Thai AirAsia is predicting a great year next year, forecasting passenger load to reach 90% of the levels it was at before the Covid-19 pandemic. The rosy outlook was stated as foreign arrivals have been pouring into Thailand. The popular budget airline also has faith that the mega-demographic of Chinese tourists will be able to rejoin the tourism world next…
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Dining carriages and catering trolleys return to Thai trains
Dining carriages and catering trolleys are back in service on Thailand’s trains after a two-year hiatus, according to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT). The SRT suspended all food and drink services in April 2020 to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Certain busy routes stop running completely to prevent outbreaks of the virus. However, Thailand is slowly but surely moving…
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Thailand to open all land border crossings next year
Thailand is planning to open all land border crossings with neighbouring countries next year. The move is reportedly part of an effort to facilitate the transportation of goods to help restart one aspect of the economy. The Department of Foreign Trade says it will negotiate with Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Malaysia to reopen all 97 land borders and hold trade…
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Free tune-up offered for all vehicles before New Year’s Eve
Thailand is trying a new angle to increase road safety during the upcoming busy New Year’s holiday. Before people climb into their cars and make long-distance journeys they might not normally make in their day-to-day life, the government is helping to provide free comprehensive tune-ups for all vehicles. By partnering with public and private businesses, the Land Transport Department is…
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Heavy rains close Gulf ferries, Surin Islands for 2 days
Heavy rains, high winds and thunderstorms have ferries cancelled and areas closing down for the next few days in the south of Thailand. In the Gulf of Thailand, all ferry services between the mainland and Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao have been suspended for two days. On the Andaman Sea, the national park on the Surin Islands has…
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For Tesla Thailand, all bumpy roads lead to China
For newly-minted Tesla Thailand, there’s a bumpy road ahead, and it leads back to China. Tesla began sales in Thailand, just over a week ago, offering its popular Model 3 and Model Y at prices that compete with rivals like BYD. The company staged a glitzy showcase of its plans at Bangkok’s Siam Paragon mall with vehicles to be delivered…
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GrabTukTuk to be launched in Phuket next year
GrabTukTuk revealed it will be launching a new app in Phuket at the beginning of next year to provide about 100 tuk tuk cars for the beach resort’s locals and tourists. Phuket tuk tuk driver Suchart Nitiwaranuluck was hailed by tourists and criticised by his peers in April after he offered a very affordable 50 baht for a round trip…
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Dead passenger on Bangkok-bound flight had Covid
Passengers on a flight to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport discovered that the only thing more unpleasant than an unruly passenger is a dead one. A 71 year old Thai man died mid-flight as an aircraft travelled from Saudi Arabia to Bangkok’s main airport. Testing showed the man was infected with Covid-19 at the time of his death. Little information has been released…
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An Azur Air flight circles Phuket for hours, then aborts
An Azur Air flight intended for Russia never made and no one is saying why. The flight took off toward Novosibirsk after a five-hour delay but never made it past the Andaman Sea. It circled for hours and ended up back in Phuket leaving about 200 passengers stranded. Azur Air flight ZF3750 was supposed to depart at 3.50pm yesterday toward…
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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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RTP urges Thai drivers not to ignore e-tickets, they’re real, not fake
A Royal Thai Police (RTP) spokesperson confirmed e-tickets for traffic violations have been in use since May this year and they are not fake despite claims to the contrary. Pol Maj Gen Achayon Kraithong announced on Facebook that the RTP e-tickets are real after a well-known neurologist and professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University warned motorists of a…
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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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