Thai Airways to resume most routes by the first of March 2022. Thailand’s national carrier Thai Airways has stated that they hope to resume most travel routes by the end of April and expect things to return to normal by the end of the year.
This is good news for travelers who are looking to visit Thailand. As we all know air travel has been severely restricted for most of 2020 and 2021 with the majority of airlines shut down completely, or offering a few repatriation flights only.
Thai airways only recently resumed international flights in Q4 2021 to limited destinations.
Covid-19 is Endemic
Now with the Thai government saying that the Omicron variant will be endemic here in Thailand they are recommending the country open up to tourism.
WHO has cautioned the Thai government about playing down the risks of Covid-19, and saying it is endemic as of 2022. But, the Department of Disease Control has stated that it is different for each country and each country has different paths to follow.
Analysts inside Thai airways predict that many countries will reopen their boarders and Thai airways will gradually add flights starting at the end of April. They expect things to return to normal by the middle of the year. This is dependent on the virus maintaining its course as expected. Additionally if a new variant arrives things may change.
It is early to say for sure exactly what will happen, as the numbers of cases are indeed climbing here in Thailand. But the majority of cases are Omicron and they are not severe, and do not require hospitalization.
Destination Country
Thailand is still a wonderful destination for many travelers and now even more so. Much of the country has returned to the slow pace of life. With no tourists to sustain them the wilder areas such as Pattaya, Patpong and Bangkok have slowed down, with many areas shuttered.
We all remember the reasons why we love Thailand it is a tranquil place with a smile everywhere.
Resumption of travel to other countries is expected to bring a boost to the economy and the country as a whole.
This is also dependent on other countries opening up their boarders and allowing flights to Thailand and their citizens to travel to Thailand. The situation is still fluid.
Europe first
It is expected that the first area travelers will be returning from is Europe as that is a traditional market for travelers coming to Thailand, and many countries there are opening up. As the countries continue to open up and allow their citizens to travel, Thailand hopes to be a destination of choice.
Thailand has 3 methods for arriving travelers at present.
- Test and Go
- Sandbox
- Alternative Quarantine
All methods have some restrictions involved for arriving travelers the details can be found here.
Thailand India Travel Bubble
Thailand is working on plans for a travel bubble with India. The main goal will be to attrace younger Indian tourists who can contribute to the recovery of Thailands tourist industry. The CCSA has approved a proposal for a Thailand-India Air travel Bubble (ATB).
Inside the bubble Indians traveling to Thailand will be offered extra convenience, despite some remaining Covid-19 travel restrictions. – CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin. Ticket agents and airlines together with Covid-19 control authorities will play a key role in this bilateral tourism promotion campaign, he said.
In 2019 approximately 1.9 million Indian tourists came to Thailand in 2019, a 25% increase from the the previous year, Taweesilp said, citing figures from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
China and Japan
China and Japan are not expected to resume travel for some time as they have been slow to open their boarders.
Thai airways is looking forward to gaining more travelers, the airline was struggling before the pandemic hit and it has fared poorly in 2020 and 2021. The airline spent much of its time in 2020 in bankruptcy court and had an entire restructuring of the company. It is hoped that things will indeed return to normal this year and we will all be safe.
