An estimated 726,000 air passengers are expected to travel on domestic and international flights in the country this month, or about 24,200 per day, following the country’s reopening, according to the Airports of Thailand (AoT).
Of this number, 270,529 will be passengers on international flights operated to and from Thailand and the rest will be travelling via domestic flights, said Nitinai Sirismatthakarn, president of the AoT, on the second day of the country’s reopening on Tuesday.
A total of 31 inbound flights carrying about 2,600 passengers landed at Suvarnabhumi, the country’s gateway airport, on Tuesday, said Kittipong Kittikachorn, general manager of the airport. Of those passengers, 1,500 were foreign nationals, he said.
As for a shortage of transfer buses, which was experienced on day one of the reopening, Suvarnabhumi has worked with hotel operators to resolve the problem, he said.
On Monday, more than 30,000 people registered and were approved for automated Covid-19 safety clearance under the Thailand Pass system, which is compulsory for visitors arriving in Thailand, said PM’s Office Minister Anucha Nakasai.
He was speaking during a visit to Suvarnabhumi airport on Tuesday to inspect the multi-party authorities’ handling of incoming passengers.
The minister gave his assurance that personal information is securely protected under the screening system, which meets European standards for handling personal data, he added.
Under the Thailand Pass system, now in place at all international airports in the kingdom, passengers’ vaccination documents are checked and verified using a QR code.
Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, meanwhile, insisted the Covid-19 testing, compulsory for all visitors on arrival before they are allowed to travel freely, is safe, accurate, fast and convenient. The testing process is conducted by the Disease Control Department, he said.
As for the caseloads of Covid-19 infections, he said, the figures will likely rise in the coming days. However, the number of infected patients who experience severe or fatal illness are not predicted to rise due to the rate of vaccination.
The government is speeding up the nationwide vaccination campaign, which is essential in combating Covid-19 transmission. Mr Anutin said in the event of infection, those inoculated are the least likely to develop critical conditions.
In Chiang Mai, where Covid-19 infections have worsened in recent days, 1.2 million of all 1.7 million locals have been vaccinated.
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