Thai domestic flights on the increase

13th Jul 2022

July will be a good month for domestic travel in Thailand because there are two long weekends and airlines are starting to add flights and times that had been cut.

Aeronautical Radio of Thailand and the International Air Transport Association report a growth in the number of domestic flights in Thailand, consistent with the global trend.

After July 1, the head of Aerothai, Nopasit Chakpitak, informed the Bangkok Post that an average of 1,437 domestic flights took off daily from Thai airports. This is an increase from the daily average of 1,374 flights in June. The Thailand Pass was eliminated on July 1 for all overseas visitors.

As a result of the public holidays this month, more Thais are likely to travel in July. This week's Asanha Bucha Day and the beginning of Buddhist Lent will result in a long weekend from July 13 to 17, followed by a long weekend for His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn's birthday from July 28 to 31.

Local airlines are cleaning up their fleets and bringing back their destinations and flight schedules, so it is expected that as many as 430,000 flights will take off in 2022. This represents a 41% increase over the number of flights that took off the previous year, when travel restrictions restricted holiday and general travel.

IATA has reported that passenger statistics from the month of May indicate a continuous growth in worldwide air traffic. Despite the difficulties European and American airlines face with flight delays and cancellations during the summer vacation rush, global travel bookings have increased as the year progresses.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), global passenger traffic is already at 68.7% of pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

The Exploding Topics blog reported in last month's research on travel trends that travellers' primary worries are COVID-19 safety and cleanliness. The paper warns that pandemic-related health issues are projected to persist well beyond 2022, and may continue to impact the tourism industry until 2023.

According to the survey, the most stressful parts of flying are being around other people and getting on the plane.

But the research also showed that only a few airlines are taking significant steps to make travellers feel better.

Emirates, an airline based in Dubai, has announced that it would now cover medical bills of up to US $183,000 and quarantine fees of US $122 per day for 14 days for customers diagnosed with COVID-19 during their flight.

This year, as the global travel industry begins to recover, there will also be a rise in domestic travel as more remote employees and business travellers contribute to passenger numbers.

Compared to 2019, there is a 17 percent rise in solo travel according to Booking.com. Before the epidemic, the number of people travelling alone was already on the rise, and this trend is projected to continue.

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