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 Airways to merge with Thai Smile to ‘reduce losses’
Thai Airways is to merge with Thai Smile to “reduce losses.” The plan is expected to be approved by the end of this year. Piyasvasti Amranand, chairman of THAI’s committee overseeing the airline’s rehabilitation, said the restructuring had been on the cards for a while and had always been part of the plan. “A study about the merger plan is…
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AOT soar above last year’s levels
As Thailand’s economy rebounds to close to pre-pandemic levels, the recovery can be traced directly to more flights. Airports of Thailand are set to soar above last year’s levels of both domestic and international arrivals, and the millions of tourists these flights bring. The first two months of this year have seen 150,000 flights, double the number in the same…
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Federal baht bus standing ban puts drivers in a pickle
A new law has been published in the Royal Gazette, stating that passengers are no longer allowed to stand on the back of baht buses, also known as songtaews. But drivers are also obligated to pick up all passengers, leaving drivers with the dilemma of either illegally not picking up passengers when full or illegally overcrowding and allowing passengers to…
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Thai Airways Q4 loss narrows
Thai Airways Q4 profit almost tripled as tourists started to return to the holiday kingdom. The carrier’s net income for the three months ending December 31 rose to 11.2 billion baht (US$300 million) from 4 billion baht a year earlier, chief executive officer Chai Eamsiri said on Friday. Thai Airways Q4 profit to support strong growth in 2023 Operating income…
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Thai AirAsia resumes Bangkok – Macau flights
Budget airline Thai AirAsia has resumed direct flights between Bangkok and Macau in China, operating the route four times per week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Thai police may have busted the macau888 gambling website, but never mind, Thais can now gamble legally by flying direct to Macau on Thai AirAsia. Thai AirAsia is the only airline servicing the…
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Thai Airways to trial biometric check-in at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Airports of Thailand (AOT) chose flag carrier Thai Airways to trial a new biometric check-in service at Suvarnabhumi Airport, starting on their Bangkok – Singapore route. AOT hopes that bolstering facial recognition technology will streamline the check-in process and reduce waiting times. From now until April 30, passengers on daily THAI flight TG409 from Bangkok to Singapore can check in…
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Thailand bans standing up on songthaews, drivers aren’t happy
Thailand introduced a law on Friday which requires passengers to sit down when travelling on a songthaew, a popular form of public transport. However, songthaew drivers say the law is detrimental to their livelihoods and are worried it could lead to extortion. A songthaew is a passenger vehicle converted from a pickup truck with two rows of seats. Songthaews have…
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Thai Airways docks cabin crew’s salary over meal tray gate
UPDATE Thai Airways is formally punishing cabin crew for not collecting meal trays from some passengers before landing on a Singapore – Bangkok flight after a viral TikTok exposed the cabin crew’s mishap. Yesterday, the airline’s PR team said… “Thai Airways International would like to announce the results of our investigation into the case of cabin crew not storing away…
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China’s home-grown cruise ship close to launch
China plans to make a big splash with the launch of its first home-grown cruise ship later this year. It will be the nation’s first voyage into a sector dominated by European shipyards, and a critical step in reducing reliance on external sources. Lavish, unsinkable and afloat by May Known as the H1508, construction began in October 2019 and she…
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The most common complaint about Bangkok taxi drivers is…
Bangkok dwellers are not happy with the city’s taxi drivers. Since new taxi fares came into effect on January 16, there have been over 2,000 passenger complaints about taxi drivers in Bangkok, with the biggest proportion of them concerning cabbies’ rejection of passengers, according to the Land Transport Department. Of the 2,120 complaints, 720 concerned cabbies’ rejection of passengers, 455…
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Nok Air to launch Bangkok – Korat route
Low-cost carrier Nok Air plans to connect Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok to northeast Thailand in the coming months with a new direct flight to Nakhon Ratchasima, aka “Korat.” Chief Executive Officer of Nok Air, Wuttipoom Churankun, said the Bangkok – Korat route should begin after Songkran Festival in April 2023. The date of the route’s inaugural flight hasn’t yet…
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Thai Airways cabin crew forgets to collect meal trays before landing on Singapore-Bangkok flight
Thai Airways is ‘”urgently investigating” why cabin crew failed to collect meal trays on a Singapore – Bangkok flight before landing on the runway at Suvarnabhumi Airport after an irked passenger recorded the incident on TikTok. TikTok user Praewa Nang Mana (@Praewa_panicha) posted a clip of food trays sitting on the foldable tables of three seats. As the plane lands,…
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Longtail boats with roofs pulled after several capsized
After two deaths and many injuries so far this year, about 80 longtail boats in Krabi that were modified by adding roofs are being called in. The Krabi Marine Office made the announcement after three longtail boats capsized in the last two months. The roofs make the boats less stable in stronger winds. They also make the small boats heavier…
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Thai Airways cancels flights to Germany due to strikes
Thai Airways announced the cancellation of all flights from Bangkok to Frankfurt and Munich and vice versa today – February 17 – due to labour strikes at airports all over Germany. Airport workers at major hubs in Germany are taking part in a day-long strike today over pay disrupting airline operations. Public sector workers and ground handlers are striking at…
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Thai Airways expands into 5 Chinese cities
Thailand‘s flag carrier Thai Airways (THAI) is ramping up flights to China to facilitate increased demand from the Chinese tourist market since the country recently reopened its borders for the first time in three years. Thai Airways will operate 14 nonstop services per week to five hot destinations, the earliest departing on March 1, 2023… Bangkok – Kunming Twice per…
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Thailand’s perilous roads claim the lives of 75 foreigners so far this year
Thailand’s deadly roads have claimed the lives of 75 foreigners so far this year. A further 2,886 foreigners were injured, according to data from Thai RSC, an accident information centre. Foreigners getting into road accidents in Thailand regularly make headlines but much more go unrecorded by the media. Data recorded from January 1 – February 15, 2023, reveals that 2,099…
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Bangkok’s number of train passengers reaches all-time high
Bangkok‘s number of train passengers reached an all-time high on Friday, February 10. The number of people travelling by rail in and around Thailand’s capital city climbed to 1,577,330 that day, according to the Department of Rail Transport. The department’s numbers revealed that the BTS Green Line served the most passengers, with 916,390 people using the service, followed by the…
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Phuket taxi busted gambling online while driving
In a tough economy, it’s not unusual for people to work two jobs to make ends meet, sometimes even overlapping and working both at the same time. But a van driver in Phuket learned that the two jobs that don’t mix are driving a taxi while gambling online. The Phuket van driver received a 2,000 baht fine and had his…
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Take the slow train to monkey city
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is offering trips on a slow train to monkey city, from Bangkok to Lopburi in the Northeast Thailand, on the refurbished Kiha 183 diesel-powered trains from Japan. The trips this weekend and next will cost 599 baht. Only 200 seats will be available each day. The train leaves Bangkok’s historic Hua Lamphong Railway Station…
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Sufficient life jackets on HTMS Sukhothai – RTN
The Naval Supply Department insisted that there were 130 life jackets on HTMS Sukhothai when it sank in December, more than enough for the 105 crew. Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), Admiral Choengchai Chomchoengpaet yesterday said that the RTN is finding out why some of the survivors claimed that there were not enough life jackets on HTMS Sukhothai. Regarding…
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French Consul meet Patong Police over motorbike incident
The Head of the French Consulate in Phuket met with Patong Police and Phuket Tourist Police to address the issue of French motorbike racers causing a public nuisance. The meeting on Friday was prompted by the recent arrest of 20 French racers who were caught breaking traffic laws in Patong. This incident and footage of their reckless behaviour caused a…
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Disability rights investigated for flyer in wheelchair
In 2019, an Israeli tourist booked a flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. He sent information about his wheelchair battery 48 hours before the flight, however, upon arrival at Chiang Mai airport, he was informed that the airline did not allow passengers with electric wheelchairs to fly. Now the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken up the…
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Seahorse Ferry relaunches Pattaya to Samui route
After a four-month hiatus, the Seahorse Ferry Company is finally ready to set sail again, resuming its weekly service between Sattahip and Koh Samui from Thursday, February 16. After a temporary pause for essential repairs and maintenance shortly after launching, the ferry is now back in business and ready to welcome passengers on board once again. If you’re planning a…
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Thai Airways rehabilitation ahead of schedule
Thai Airways expects to exit its rehabilitation plan ahead of schedule. The airline is already looking for new aircraft as the recovery in global tourism bolsters earnings. CEO Chai Eamsiri said Thursday that the carrier will be able to leave its court-supervised debt plan “much earlier” than the late-2024 target, according to Bloomberg. The company is also in talks with…
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PLTO focuses on foreigners using rental cars as illegal taxis
The crackdown on illegal taxis – those operating outside their jurisdiction or without proper licenses or permissions – continues in Phuket. Authorities have turned their attention to a new target: foreigners using personal rental cars as taxis. In response to numerous complaints, Phuket officials launched an investigation into reports of foreign tourists acting as illegal taxi drivers. A joint team…
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PLTO continues crackdown on illegal taxis
The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) and Sakhu Police have apprehended four more drivers for illegally operating their vehicles as taxis in Phuket. The joint operation took place at a checkpoint set up at the Sakhu-Nai Yang intersection on Thepkrasattri Rd in Mai Khao and resulted in the stop of two taxis registered in Bangkok with green plates and two…
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Thailand’s first ever seaplane airline to launch this summer
Thailand‘s first-ever seaplane airline ‘Siam Seaplane‘ is preparing to launch this summer to take the kingdom’s tourism industry to the next level. Siam Seaplane has formed partnerships with 60 luxury hotels and resorts, including top brands Intercontinental and Four Seasons. In an interview with AirwaysMag, Chief Business Operator Dennis Keller revealed that the company faced plenty of setbacks during the…
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No one responsible for Service Hall collapse at Don Mueang Airport, confirms AOT
No one is responsible for the partial collapse of the newly-built Service Hall at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport in April last year, confirms Airports of Thailand (AOT). Excessive rainfall was blamed for the incident. Tomorrow, February 8, the repaired Service Hall will open for use, some ten months after its collapse. On April 17, 2022, parts of the roof and…
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Thai customs end intrusive frisking of designer-brand wearers at airports
The Thai Customs Department has officially put an end to the embarrassing and intrusive practice of frisking travellers passing through border control with designer-brand items at airports. The department said the searches were a burden for travellers. According to the deputy director of the Customs Department, Phanthong Loykunlanan, the department has abolished frisking tourists to make travel more convenient. However,…
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Russian plane engine catches fire on Phuket runway
A Russian tourist plane bound for Moscow faced a terrifying moment when its engine caught fire before takeoff at Phuket International Airport. The 309 passengers and 12 crew on board the 26 year old Boeing 767-306ER, operated by Azur Air, were forced to evacuate the aircraft. Footage from the scene shows flames bursting from the right engine of the Russian…
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