Airports of Thailand expects passengers to decline by more than 50%

 

FILE PHOTO: Empty of check-in counters are seen at the Suvarnabhumi Airport as the government extended a ban on incoming passenger flights until the end of April, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand April 16, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - State-owned Airports of Thailand Pcl (AOT.BK) said on Wednesday it expects the number of passengers passing through its airports to decline by 53% this year due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus.

 

Airports of Thailand (AOT) expects the number of passengers to drop to 66.58 million and the number of flights to decline by 44.9% to 493,800 for its fiscal year ending in September.

 

AOT, which operates six airports including the country’s largest international hub, Suvarnabhumi Airport, saw nearly 900,000 flights and 141.8 million passengers in the year ended September 2019, booking profits of 25 billion baht ($773 million).

 

The airport operator said that recovery of air traffic and passenger volume would depend on multiple factors, including how countries manage the outbreak, prevention methods and the discovery of a vaccine.

 

“The recovery of the aviation business will rely on destination countries. For Thailand this would include Asia-Pacific countries, which account for 80% of destinations,” AOT said in a statement, adding that it expected domestic flight to recover before international flights.

 

Commercial air travel has all but stopped as the coronavirus continues to spread.

 

The country’s aviation regulator in early April imposed a ban on passenger flights until the end of the month to curb to spread of the virus. In March the government banned the entry of non-resident foreigners.

 

Budget carriers Thai AirAsia (AAV.BK) and Thai Lion Air said they would resume domestic flights on May 1, with passengers asked to take precautionary measures including wearing masks and observing social distancing.

 

Thailand has a total of 2,826 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 48 deaths.

 

Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy stands to lose 1.3 trillion baht, most of it in the tourism sector.

 

More than 2.54 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 177,004 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-04-22

 

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Don't worry though TaT will be along in a minute to tell us they expect tourist numbers to expand by 216%....

21 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The airport operator said that recovery of air traffic and passenger volume would depend on multiple factors, including how countries manage the outbreak, prevention methods and the discovery of a vaccine.

But it will not depend on their ability to sell Thailand and to make it attractive price wise !

They will never learn 

How could number of passengers decline by 53% only ?

International traffic is down to nearly zero, and big doubt that it will restart significantly this year.

Anyone has an idea of usual domestic traffic compared to international one ?

Just now, Pattaya46 said:

How could number of passengers decline by 53% only ?

International traffic is down to nearly zero, and big doubt that it will restart significantly this year.

Anyone has an idea of usual domestic traffic compared to international one ?

Like most everything else numbers are just plucked out of thin air

 

Anywhere else that would be a problem but here the education system and lack of critical thinking mean even the dimmest of the dim puiyai's can say anything with zero thought or research required

 

This is of massive benefit as thought or research is usually beyond them anyway...

53 percent?  

It's going to probably be far far lower than that.  

You know, international travellers aren't going anywhere this year unless they really have to.  

1 hour ago, Pattaya46 said:

How could number of passengers decline by 53% only ?

International traffic is down to nearly zero, and big doubt that it will restart significantly this year.

Anyone has an idea of usual domestic traffic compared to international one ?

Internationally domestic flights are near zero.  The airport that I'm nearby usually has 55k per day, one day they had 255 people.  Yep.  255.  

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Airports of Thailand (AOT) expects the number of passengers to drop to 66.58 million and the number of flights to decline by 44.9% to 493,800 for its fiscal year ending in September.

I'm guessing they didn't get the memo that tourists (when they are allowed back in) will require a visa applied a month in advance, covid-19 certificate and insurance, and on arrival in Thailand will be subject to 14 days mandatory quarantine. 

17 minutes ago, lamyai3 said:

I'm guessing they didn't get the memo that tourists (when they are allowed back in) will require a visa applied a month in advance, covid-19 certificate and insurance, and on arrival in Thailand will be subject to 14 days mandatory quarantine. 

That was before they banned tourists, no one knows what the future requirements will be. If they want tourists then those requirements will have to be loosened.

53% Chinese.

I love the way these agencies talk themselves a good yarn - if they tell it often enough it might come true - the only reason I can think why they keep publishing these fantasy stories  

48 minutes ago, Blumpie said:

53 percent?  

It's going to probably be far far lower than that.  

You know, international travellers aren't going anywhere this year unless they really have to.  

Figures are estimated for period Sep2019-Sep2020, so 6 months of good times before the virus affected things.

The fiscal year for AOT run Sept to Sept, so the numbers are perhaps correct.

Sept to Feb large numbers.

Feb to Sept nobody.

So perhaps 50%++ down.

1 hour ago, tribalfusion001 said:

That was before they banned tourists, no one knows what the future requirements will be. If they want tourists then those requirements will have to be loosened.

I can't find the source, but I certainly read recently that those will be the requirements when tourists are allowed back in. In particular, the one month advance notice when applying for a visa at the embassy didn't apply before. Agree though, if they want tourists back they're going to have to loosen these requirements. 

I'm hoping not but betting that when Thailand 'opens up' again, there will be a 2 tier entry process.

 

Tier 1

 

China and South East Asian countries - no visa, no quarantine, no insurance.

 

Tier 2

 

The rest of the world - visa, covid certificate, insurance and a total ban if the virus is still widespread in your home country.

 

The fact that the virus started in China will have absolutely no impact on the entrance requirements at all  because as we all know - Europe etc. has a very strong version of covid 19, no at all like the one in Thailand at the moment ???? .  Justification will include the reasoning that as a lot of S.E. Asian countries are hot and the virus finds it 'hard to live in such climates', their citizens will be fine. It won't matter that Singapore is hotter than Thailand and currently has rampant covid 19 - that probably won't even get a mention - just stop those dirty farangs from visiting.

 

Doubt I'll be seeing my wife this year.

Edited April 22, 20206 yr by KhaoYai

I like the number 53 to sound more credible. Not 55 or 50. Just like those scam advertisements "I made 297$ in one hour!". 

Anyone seen my bingo balls.... 

 

3 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

How could number of passengers decline by 53% only ?

International traffic is down to nearly zero, and big doubt that it will restart significantly this year.

Anyone has an idea of usual domestic traffic compared to international one ?

Their financial year started in October last year

2 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

I'm guessing they didn't get the memo that tourists (when they are allowed back in) will require a visa applied a month in advance, covid-19 certificate and insurance, and on arrival in Thailand will be subject to 14 days mandatory quarantine. 

That's the biggest issue. I would gladly take a chance to see Mrs Chelseafan but the hurdles are impossible to get around. Thailand has to lessen the restrictions first before people start coming back.

 

1 hour ago, KhaoYai said:

Doubt I'll be seeing my wife this year.

Join the club.....not your wife....my wife otherwise that would be weird.

Where do they get these figures from, nobody knows how long this virus will last in the West, or in fact  a second wave might happen, so how the hell can you predict the number of travelers.... Ooh forgot they have a special crystal ball... 

26 minutes ago, Soikhaonoiken said:

Where do they get these figures from, nobody knows how long this virus will last in the West, or in fact  a second wave might happen, so how the hell can you predict the number of travelers.... Ooh forgot they have a special crystal ball... 

To be fair, they forecast ahead based on current information to hand. If circumstances change so will the figures.

 

 

Does anyone know where you buy the 100,000$ whuflu insurance?

10 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

BANGKOK (Reuters) - State-owned Airports of Thailand Pcl (AOT.BK) said on Wednesday it expects the number of passengers passing through its airports to decline by 53% this year due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus.

Seems a bit low ....... assume almost no flights from April to December = 75% drop

They'd need 3 months more normal flights to only lose 50% this year, and that looks unlikely to me.

8 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

because as we all know - Europe etc. has a very strong version of covid 19, no at all like the one in Thailand at the moment 

That's not entirely true I didn't know that Europe's version of sars cov 2 was any different to anywhere else,do you know any links to scientific data that proves this?

I agree that maybe Cnina India and some neighbouring countries may have a few people

who may want to go to Thailand, but with the economics of the world, there will be

millions less who will have the money to take a 4000 dollar trip to Thailand. Most people

will be living on their savings and or Government handouts. There may be some rich people

who will travel about, but I bet they will be extra cautious. I just know that I cannot

afford to travel for at least 2 years, maybe more. I also know that i am not alone in

this situation. Enjoy THailand , those who are living there now, and those who

have family or loved ones there that they have to go and visit.

Geezer

How many of them sat round a table in deepest discussion to come up with this stunning revelation.?

 

Why does Thai visa even bother to run this sensational breaking news story!

 

Later will be the even more predictable virus figures continue to decline story ....... down to 10 positives for the day from 29 people tested nationwide.

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

BANGKOK (Reuters) - State-owned Airports of Thailand Pcl (AOT.BK) said on Wednesday it expects the number of passengers passing through its airports to decline by 53% this year due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus.

Try 90% you might be nearer the truth

10 hours ago, mancub said:

Figures are estimated for period Sep2019-Sep2020, so 6 months of good times before the virus affected things.

Thank you.  As soon as I saw the subject I knew before I clicked on it the first replies would say the numbers were false and that the TAT would be mentioned (yep, they never get tired of that one!  Yawn).

 

I wish people would just do a little critical thinking or perhaps even a little research before they jump in with both feet to belittle, criticise, or complain.  They would look less stupid when someone like you posts the logical answer.

Can I get whatever, they are smoking?