All quiet at airports in 13 "deep red zones" - Chiang Mai has no passengers for first time in 100 years

[webfact]

Picture TNA MCOT

 

TNA MCOT reported from several airports in Thailand after air travel was halted in 13 deep red zone provinces yesterday for 14 days due to the latest spike in Covid-19 cases. 

 

At Hat Yai airport in the southern province of Songkhla there was only security staff and all shops and counters were shut. 

 

There have been 9,400 infections and 44 deaths in the province with a new cluster at the Sapsin market in Muang district resulting in the closure of the market until July 28th.

 

Meanwhile in Chiang Mai the media reported that there was barely a soul at the airport with no passengers for the first time in 100 years since the airport was founded.

 

There were just a few security staff and people packing up stock in shops. 

 

The last flights there were 990 passengers on six flights on Tuesday.

 

An airport official said they would be using the down time to do cleaning. 

 

-- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2021-07-22

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[DrJack54]

To be fair air traffic pretty busy with Koh Samui.

 

SamuiPlus update on Wednesday: 0 #COVID19 cases again

 

Day 1: 9 people on 3 flights

 

Day 2: 1 person on 1 flight

 

Day 3: 0 people on 0 flights

 

Day 4: 5 people on 2 flights

 

Day 5: 2 people on 1 flight

 

Day 6: 1 person on 1 flight

 

Day 7: 2 people on 2 flights

[hotchilli]

great work Prayut, but it could have been so different.

[sammieuk1]

Will there be one person on one flight from the sandbox @19-08 is a burning question I have ????

[Scott Tracy]

I was surprised to read Chiang Mai had an airport in 1921... I wonder what aircraft flew there and who used them.

[In Full Agreement]

2 minutes ago, Scott Tracy said:

I was surprised to read Chiang Mai had an airport in 1921... I wonder what aircraft flew there and who used them.

 

That must have been quite an airport.

 

[connda]

Picture of a takeoff from runway 36.

Edited July 22, 2021 by connda

[Knocker33]

[Khabib]

2 hours ago, Scott Tracy said:

I was surprised to read Chiang Mai had an airport in 1921... I wonder what aircraft flew there and who used them.

The feathered friend variety 55

[Thechook]

Chiamgmai, no passengers for 1st time in 100 years.  How many passengers was this airport doing a 100 years ago?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

8 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

To be fair air traffic pretty busy with Koh Samui.

 

SamuiPlus update on Wednesday: 0 #COVID19 cases again

 

Day 1: 9 people on 3 flights

 

Day 2: 1 person on 1 flight

 

Day 3: 0 people on 0 flights

 

Day 4: 5 people on 2 flights

 

Day 5: 2 people on 1 flight

 

Day 6: 1 person on 1 flight

 

Day 7: 2 people on 2 flights

 

Is that including, or excluding, the pilots and cabin crews??? ????

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

31 minutes ago, Thechook said:

Chiamgmai, no passengers for 1st time in 100 years.  How many passengers was this airport doing a 100 years ago?

 

More to the point, did Chiang Mai actually have an airport by 1921???   It sounds rather improbable... but I'm no CM history buff......

 

Maybe they meant 10 years...and added the extra zero as a typo by mistake?

 

Well... OUCH!!!  Wiki says....

 

"The airport was established in 1921 as Suthep Airport. "

 

Wanna see photos, or I won't believe it!

 

Except, there's a history blurb in TH only on the CM Airport website that says founded in Thai year 2477, which means 1934.

 

"จากสนามบินสุเทพที่เริ่มต้นเปิดดำเนินการครั้งแรกตั้งแต่ พ.ศ. 2477 ก่อนจะเปลี่ยนชื่อเป็นท่าอากาศยานเชียงใหม่ในปัจจุบัน และกลายเป็นประตูสู่แหล่งท่องเที่ยวดินแดนล้านนาและภาคเหนือ"

 

Via Google Translate:

 

"From Suthep Airport that started operating for the first time since 1934 before changing its name to the current Chiang Mai Airport. and become a gateway to tourist attractions in Lanna and Northern Territory"

 

https://chiangmai.airportthai.co.th/about-us

 

 

[Blumpie]

3 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

Will there be one person on one flight from the sandbox @19-08 is a burning question I have ????

No, all those flights are stopped and those tickets are cancelled.  Those people are stranded.  As I and so many others predicted.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Found a website with some old history and old photos of the airfield there... more airfield that airport..  It also seems to debunk the 1921 notion of an "airport"

 

"The foundation date of the airport, or rather airfield, was in the early 1920s. Wikipedia states that the airport was established as Suthep Airport in 1921 but that might have been the year in which the first airplane touched down in Chiang Mai.

 

According to our information a wealthy Muslim businessman of Chinese descent, by the name of Khun Chowng-liang Lue-kiat, donated land to the establishment of the airport in 1924. It is not easy to find information about the history of the airport. After some research I can deduct that until the late 1950s it was more an airfield than an airport. The runway was a grass or dirt surface and there were almost no structures."

 

https://www.chiangmai-alacarte.com/chiang-mai-international-airport/

 

Edited July 22, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[SomchaiCNX]

I think the information is not correct, there was  departure of a private jet today.

 

[KhunBENQ]

29 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

"The airport was established in 1921 as Suthep Airport. "

 

Wanna see photos, or I won't believe it!

(just see that you were faster)

 

Don't think too much about it.

What I find is obvious:

a bamboo forest at the foot of Doi Suthep was cleared to make up a landing strip for the post WW1 type of planes.

I could not find a picture of the "airport" but this is likely one of the first to land there:

Edited July 22, 2021 by KhunBENQ

[KhunBENQ]

10 minutes ago, SomchaiCNX said:

I think the information is not correct, there was  departure of a private jet today.

 

And what does it mean that some super VIP could fly on his private jet?

Not much to do with regular passenger traffic.

And of course technically air control and facilities will be on for emergencies, military, police etc.

Edited July 22, 2021 by KhunBENQ

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 minute ago, KhunBENQ said:

(just see that you were faster)

 

Don't think too much about it.

What I find is obvious:

a bamboo forest at the foot of Doi Suthep was cleared to make up a landing strip for the post WW1 type of planes.

I could not find a picture of the "airport" but this is likely one of the first to land there:

Any date associated with that photo?

 

I was going to add.... I don't think there were many "airport" passengers sitting around CM airport waiting for commercial flights (because I'm pretty sure there weren't any) back during WWII when the British and Americans were bombing the airstrip then being used by the Japanese and Thai air forces......

 

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

11 minutes ago, SomchaiCNX said:

I think the information is not correct, there was  departure of a private jet today.

 

AFAIK, the government's new ban on flights applies to regular commercial flights... not private aircraft.

 

[KhunBENQ]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Any date associated with that photo?

Not 100% sure. It's from pantip.com and if I understand correct it's from 1923, February 16 to 19, some "airshow".

So not the first to land in Chiang Mai.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

 

And thereabouts begins the proud history of the Royal Thai Air Force!!!  ????

 

[SomchaiCNX]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

AFAIK, the government's new ban on flights applies to regular commercial flights... not private aircraft.

 

FYI, the two in the front (cockpit) are the pilots, the others in the rear (cabin) are passengers. 

1. It can be a privately owned jet.

2. It can be a private charter flight (commercial)

3. It could be one of the 2 military jets that were ordered a couple years ago. (not sure they received them already. 

 

I would really be surprised if they would have daily commercial flight 100 years ago. In 1921 they just finished the railroad connection from BKK to Chiang Mai.

[Bundooman]

23 hours ago, Scott Tracy said:

I was surprised to read Chiang Mai had an airport in 1921... I wonder what aircraft flew there and who used them.

It was founded in 1921 as 'Suthep Airport