Thai AirAsia has suspended all domestic flights from July 12 to 31, saying it is cooperating with authorities to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
The airline had said on Friday night that the suspensions would start on Saturday, but it quickly backtracked. Scheduled flights on Saturday and Sunday were operating as normal in order to ease the impact on passengers who might be left stranded, it said on its airasia travels Facebook page. It apologised for any inconvenience.
In the revised announcement, the budget airline said all domestic flights would be suspended from July 12-31 as the Covid situation had grown increasingly severe, leading the government to impose retrictions on travel.
Thai AirAsia said it was necessary to cooperate with the government to reduce the workload of medical staff in preventing and controlling the spread of the virus.
Passengers who have booked flights for the remainder of the month will receive an SMS or email from the airline about their options.
As of Saturday afternoon, other airlines were still providing domestic flights as usual. However, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has barred carriers from flying between 9pm and 4am, in keeping with the curfew imposed in Greater Bangkok and four southern border provinces.
Nok Air, meanwhile, has announced a series of measures to help passengers who have had to change their travel plans because of Covid 19. Details, for flights scheduled up to Oct 31, can be found on the airline’s website.
Land transport is also being affected by the tighter Covid containment measures announced on Friday. The government has not banned interprovincial travel but is strongly recommending that people avoid it. Authorities have also set up road checkpoints at strategic spots in the capital area.
The state-run Transport Company has suspended operations on all southern bus routes, starting from 11pm Saturday until July 25, in a bid to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
Operations on the northern, eastern and northeastern bus routes would continue, but services would be scaled down to just 13 routes a day, it said.
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