Nine Thai airlines get the nod to ground flights during Covid-19 crisis

Nine Thai airlines get the nod to ground flights during Covid-19 crisis

By THE NATION

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has allowed nine airlines to halt their flights due to the Covid-19 situation, director-general Chula Sukmanop said on Tuesday (March 24).

“The nine airlines that had submitted requests to temporarily halt their operations are: Thai Airways International, THAI Smile, Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, Thai AirAsia X, Thai Lion Air, Nok Air, Nok Scoot and Thai VietJet Air,” he said. “Most airlines want to cancel only some flights and some routes, so we have approved their requests accordingly.

"However, they must have plans to compensate customers who have already bought their tickets and they must notify the customers of flight cancelations in advance.”

Thai Lion Air had earlier announced that they would suspend all domestic and international flights between March 25 and April 30, while THAI Smile, Thai AirAsia and Bangkok Airways also announced that they would suspend all international flights from March 22 until further notice.

THAI also announced on Tuesday that all TG flights to Europe will be suspended from April 1 to May 31, while regional flights (including Singapore) would be suspended from March 25 to May 31.

The Ministry of Transport had earlier announced that airlines wishing to cancel their flights due to force majeure must compensate their customers by refunding the cost of tickets and other related fees. In case the customers had bought tickets with cash, the refund transaction must be completed within seven days of the customers submitting their request.

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30384783