The sole direct flights to Mae Hong Son were ceased by Nok Air. The company decided to halt the flights on April 19 because they were losing money.Since Nok Air was the sole airline operating commercial service to the airport in the province, which is home to the well-known tourist destination of Pai, the only means of transportation will be by road.
Ms. Chanakhet Boonyakhan, president of the Mae Hong Son Chamber of Commerce, stated that she is collaborating with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to find solutions to the issues brought on by the flight cancellations. She also stated that she will attempt to persuade Bangkok Airways to fly to the province.
The province is now only accessible to tourists from Chiang Mai via three rural roads.The airline said that because it is replacing its fleet of smaller Bombardier Dash 8 – Q400 propeller-engine aircraft with larger Boeing 787-800s, it will no longer be able to fly the Don Mueang-Mae Hong Son route.
Boonyakhan said that a Boeing 737-800 could land on the 30-by-2,000-meter runway at Mae Hong Son airport because Thai Airways previously flew there with a Boeing 747-400, a huge aircraft.
Due to high maintenance costs and low competitiveness, Nok Air experienced financial losses from operating the 50-seat De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q400 aircraft for eight years, the airline said in a statement.
