Night flights grounded as curbs kick in

>>The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has ordered airlines to suspend domestic flights between 9pm and 4am in keeping with the night curfew imposed in Greater Bangkok and four southern border provinces.

In an order signed by CAAT director Suttipong Kongpool, carriers are required to restrict flight operations from tomorrow following the announcement of toughened Covid-19 restrictions approved on Friday.

Also effective from tomorrow, the public transport network will close between 9pm and 3am and people are urged to avoid unnecessary trips until 4am.

Airlines have been told to tell passengers and offer assistance if their flights are cancelled or rescheduled to comply with the tightened anti-virus measures, the CAAT said.

However, the suspension order does not affect international flights operating under the Phuket Sandbox tourism scheme, according to the CAAT’s public relations team.

The CAAT also requires airlines to enforce social distancing rules on each flight to reduce virus transmission and has asked operators to make sure that businesses on their premises observe virus prevention measures.

Airport operators and airlines have also been asked to tighten Covid-19 surveillance by screening passengers, particularly high-risk groups, ahead of their flights.

According to CAAT, infected passengers and high-risk people who fail to comply will face punishments under the communicable disease control law.

Meanwhile, Thai AirAsia has suspended all domestic flights from tomorrow until July 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 the next day, but it quickly backtracked.

Scheduled flights would operate as normal over the weekend to ease the impact on passengers who might be left stranded, it said on its AirAsia Travels Facebook page.

In the revised announcement, which was made yesterday, the budget airline said all domestic flights would be grounded from tomorrow until the end of the month as the Covid-19 situation had grown increasingly severe and people are being urged to avoid travel.

Passengers who have booked flights for the remainder of the month will receive an SMS or email from the airline about their options.