Over 21,000 overseas passengers arrive in BKK, Phuket, on 1st day without ‘Test & Go’

[Adumbration]

21,000 eh...

 

Were have they hidden them.

 

I was in Phuket on Saturday night and visited a good number of bars.  In all venues the staff outnumbered customers by at least 6 to 1.

 

 

[RyanWalker]

Omg the Thais going to scam the tourists like crazy the next few months/years????

[josephbloggs]

2 hours ago, Mavideol said:

please tell us how many International (not domestic) flights on the BKK list and check the Phuket list

 

https://www.phuketairportonline.com/flight-status-arrivals-departures/

Ok, I'll entertain you as I am quite bored at the moment, I counted 134 international flights arriving at BKK today.  Count them (that previous site only shows a time period, not the whole day): 

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airports/bkk/arrivals

 

And 26 international flights arrived in Phuket today.

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airports/hkt/arrivals

Happy?  Anything you want to say about that?

Seriously, what possible reason would there be for them to make up a (fairly low in the scheme of things) number of international flights arriving?  Especially as the information is so easily verifiable.  The level of paranoia on this site is comical, it's just an article about how many people arrived on the first day of the lifting of Test & Go.  It's not even a big number.  But oh no, there are people on this site who are too smart to be fooled by this.  Laughable.  And sad.

[josephbloggs]

24 minutes ago, Adumbration said:

21,000 eh...

 

Were have they hidden them.

 

I was in Phuket on Saturday night and visited a good number of bars.  In all venues the staff outnumbered customers by at least 6 to 1.

 

 

Considering this article is about the number of people who arrived on the 1st May (Sunday) after restrictions were lifted then they were probably on a flight.  And probably only around 2,000 of that 21,000 went to Phuket anyway, the rest landed in Bangkok then went wherever they wanted to.

[dogfish180]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Airport officials reported congestion at the immigration area, as many passengers were seen close to one another, making social distancing impossible.

They just spent hours sat side by side in a big aluminium tube! "Airport Officials reported having an IQ level to match their shoe size" ????

[ikke1959]

I believe it has more to do with the end of the Ramadan than the Test and Go

[CartagenaWarlock]

9 hours ago, starky said:

Compared and contrasted to what exactly? I have no clue of arrival figures pre pandemic, or even when test and go was operating but 120 flights between to major airports to me doesnt sound impressive. And as others have stated less than 300 a flight? 

Pre covid it used to be average 100,000 per day. Last month average was 3,000 per day. 

[tawandaeng]

Were they surprised that their lunatic policies were the reason for demolishing the economy in the first place? 

Edited May 2, 2022 by tawandaeng

[ozimoron]

26 minutes ago, tawandaeng said:

Were they surprised that their lunatic policies were the reason for demolishing the economy in the first place? 

The premise that the Thai economy was "demolished" is wrong. In 2020 it was similar to 2018 and the decline in 2020 was not peculiar to Thailand. The projected GDP for 2021 was higher than that for 2020 and projected to continue rising. The strength of the Thai economy is reflected in the continued strength of the Baht.

 

https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/gdp

 

https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/gdp-growth-annual

 

According to this article, the biggest threat to the Thai economy is the continued spread of covid, not the failure to open up unrestricted travel, similar to Australia's experience.

 

https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Thai-economy-grew-1.6-in-2021-despite-COVID-19-headwind

Edited May 2, 2022 by ozimoron

[ChC1]

To settle one of the dispute, I went on flightstats to count the actual arrived international flights on 1st May in HKT and BKK. The result is as below:

HKT Arrivals on 1st May

WE338 BOM (Cargo only)

TG963 ARN

G8 73  DEL

QR842 DOH

G8 21 BOM (G8 41 BLR and G8 71 CCU is indicated cancelled)

SQ726 SIN

KC563 ALA

EY430 AUH

MH786 KUL

SQ728 SIN

TR656 SIN

3K535 SIN

EK378 DXB

6E1763 DEL

AK824 KUL

QR840 DOH

FD377 SIN

TG919 LHR

TG478 SYD

SQ736 SIN

TR652 SIN

SQ740 SIN

QR843 KUL

EK396 DXB

JQ17 MEL

QR841 SIN

FD525 HKG

 

Total: 26 possible passenger flights.

Edited May 2, 2022 by ChC1

[ChC1]

BKK 1st May international arrivals according to Flightstats:

MS507 CAI

KQ881 CAN

6E77 CCU

***NH8507+LHA...OZ397+BR6077+FD6599... etc are cargo flights, not counted. Other flights like CZ5027 etc are not passenger carry or for sale on public, hence not counted neither.

TG316 DEL

TG971 ZRH

TG935 BRU

TG318 BOM

TG931 CDG

TG326 BLR

TG911 LHR

TG951 CPH

TG338 MAA

QR830 DOH

WY817 MCT

TG921 FRA

UL402 CMB

AF166 CDG

5J929 MNL

EY402 AUH

SQ706 SIN

TR752 SIN

TG332 DEL

CI833 TPE

8M335 RGN

TR624 SIN

VN601 SGN

SQ708 SIN

BR211 TPE

6E 85 DEL

PR730 MNL

WE551 HCM

WE587 PNH

PG932 PNH

TVJ721 PNH

CI831 TPE

EK384 DXB

WE561 HAN

VJC803 SGN

KL803 AMS

QR836 DOH

ET618 ADD

TG404 SIN

LY81 TLV

CX653 HKG

VJC901 HAN

LH772 MUC

TG657 ICN

UK121 DEL (possible Cargo flight)

OS25 VIE

SQ710 SIN

TG601 HKG

TG416 KUL

CI835 TPE

AY143 HEL

TG466 MEL

TG643 NRT

QF23 SYD
TR610 SIN

UB17 RGN

SV844 JED

BG388 DAC

TG322 DAC

PG934 PNH

SQ712 SIN

TG669 CAN

CX701 HKG

CA621 PVG

AI330 BOM

QR832 DOH

EK372 DXB

SQ714 SIN

BI519 BWN

TG432 DPS

WE581 PNH

3K512 SIN

PG936 PNH

TG665 PVG

WE557 SGN

ZG 51 NRT

WE575 VTE

TG625 MNL

TG410 SIN

WE565 HAN

KL804 MNL

JL707 NRT

TG679 CAN

OZ741 ICN

NH805 NRT

KE651 ICN

EK385 HKG

 

Total: possible 90*** passenger flights (some of the flights are very questionable, for example, it is yet not possible for Myanmar or Bangladesh has so many passengers to BKK, that is at least  65flights there alone. Also there are at least 6 flights from PNH and 3 flights from MNL, really? Also there are 9 flights from Vietnam, I assume some of those would be cargo only but no way to verify. Also I included TG's and CA's flights from China, but we know with the heavy restrictions these flights are likely to be cargo mostly)

 

Conclusion: Yes there are about 120 international flights arriving in HKT and BKK on 1st May 2022. However, there are large numbers that going to Phnom Penh, Saigon, Hanoi etc. which I have my doubts on. All China flights and Japan flights are likely to add very little of passenger numbers. The majority of passenger arrives are likely from Singapore and India. Exactly how many flights are cargo flights operated by passenger jets are still unknown (I don't have the time to count).

 

Hence, 120 flights are correct. The devil is in the details. From my rough calculation based on each country's condition, I would guess only two thirds of the flights are with high passenger load factor. Another one third I would put a question mark (like flights from DAC, RGN, HAN, PHN etc.)

Edited May 2, 2022 by ChC1

[mania]

13 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Nor is it any quicker or more efficient in terms of receiving the TP.

 

I would definitely not go through this for a simple holiday. Nor IMO would most tourists.

Hear Hear ????

 

Also folks like us that actually own a home & have family there as we are

still not willing to go thru the hassles & will wait hoping normal will eventually return

 

Also to be honest after two years away & enjoying real freedoms here of no masks (especially during summer)

& almost negligible covid results we are not in a hurry.

 

The village our home is in actually has Covid really flashing thru it right now with a choice of village/community provided 10 day quarantine or home if you want.

I guess many have large families are opting for the community center quarantine

Good news tho is they are vaccinated & pretty much all have only head symptoms & easily get thru it

 

Edited May 2, 2022 by mania

[geisha]

11 hours ago, vinci said:

yeah! that's easy, wasn't there before

It doesn’t have to be a Thai insurance ! I entered with April, an international quite expensive insurance that is noted one of the very best.I feel better when I’m well insured, and when traveling , I think it’s absolutely necessary for all tourists.

[zaZa9]

15 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

It is quite meaningless to measure the 1st day arrivals. Thailand has choked it's own throat, and shot it's own foot repeatedly, with heinous restrictions for 2 years now. So, on the 1st day with no quarantine, there is bound to be alot of pent up demand, and alot of expats and businessmen returning. 

 

Let's see what the numbers look like after a month, or a year. I predict around 250,000 a month for the next couple of years. Covid hit alot of people hard, and Thailand is but a shell of what it used to be. We shall see. 

I read where you said you were leaving Thailand a year or so back. You sure are taking your time...

[jacknorman]

14 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

 

My maths come to ~ 175.

 

 

At this run rate - not sure how much of this is pent-up demand - 5 million (for all of 2022) should be no problem.

 

 

i counted 64 international  arrivels in 24 hours that day, i counted it and 21000/64= 328

[law ling]

18 hours ago, hotchilli said:

A mixture of tourists, returning Thais, families living here and business people.

... they might also be counting transit passengers and over-nighting flight crew ... but, anyway, good luck to them.

 

Troubling to read of the crowding and lack of social distancing ... it's as if nothing has been learned.

[mtls2005]

9 minutes ago, jacknorman said:

i counted it and 21000/64= 328

Yeah, this alone should be enough to indicate you failed.

 

I mean unless there's seating in the cargo hold for what employees refers to us as self-load freight.

 

 

Counting these flights on free web sites can be challenging. And you've got to filter code-shares and cargo-only flights.

 

The quoted figures in the OP pass the smell test.

 

Many say flightradar24 has the most accurate and timely stats. Just use Arrivals, and BKK or HKT.

 

 

 

[anchadian]

JP Morgan downgrades Thailand on fading tourism recovery

 

Analysts at J.P. Morgan downgraded Thailand`s equities rating on Monday, citing the slow pace of recovery in the tourism industry due to rising inflation and a surge in Covid-19 cases in China.

 

https://pulsenews.co.kr/view.php?sc=30800023&year=2022&no=391811

[spidermike007]

2 hours ago, zaZa9 said:

I read where you said you were leaving Thailand a year or so back. You sure are taking your time...

The universe is in a constant state of flux. I changed my mind. Went and explored Mexico. Had no idea crime was so rampant, and the area I looked at was infested with cartel types. Then looked at the US, just to be able to spend several months a year there. If you do not own a home there these days, it is nearly impossible to move back, without having some wealth. Things have skyrocketed, rents have gotten to an unsustainable level, and hyper inflation is rampant, especially with anything labor related. Everything has gone up.

 

So, we have decided to be content here, and the perspective I got from the recent trips was useful in doing so. 

[NoshowJones]

11 hours ago, ozimoron said:

The premise that the Thai economy was "demolished" is wrong. In 2020 it was similar to 2018 and the decline in 2020 was not peculiar to Thailand. The projected GDP for 2021 was higher than that for 2020 and projected to continue rising. The strength of the Thai economy is reflected in the continued strength of the Baht.

 

https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/gdp

 

https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/gdp-growth-annual

 

According to this article, the biggest threat to the Thai economy is the continued spread of covid, not the failure to open up unrestricted travel, similar to Australia's experience.

 

https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Thai-economy-grew-1.6-in-2021-despite-COVID-19-headwind

"The strength of the Thai economy is reflected in the continued strength of the Baht." True, and just why has the Baht strengthened so much since 2014 when the soldiers stole the country.

Is it not obvious that the soldiers have been manipulating the Baht ever since?  I am not financially minded enough to explain why, but it cannot be just a coincidence.

 

[RafPinto]

90% on the picture are blokes.

Get the ladies back ASAP

[2 is 1]

23 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Oh dear.  Maths is obviously not your strong point......neither is logic.  Each passenger does not take 15 minutes at the desk!!

If you say there are 40 desks open between BKK and Phuket and flights land over a 14 hour period (I have no idea how many desks are currently open but that seems reasonable), then it means each desk is processing 37 passengers per hour which seems perfectly normal.

Take it over an 18 hour period and it is 29 passengers per hour per desk, so two minutes per person.

In reality the numbers are probably over a 24 hour period.

Aha you dont read last line!

[2 is 1]

20 hours ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

As per the official statistics, Suvarnabhumi airport has:

 

Suvarnabhumi Airport Quick Facts

And only 30% open!

[Rhacsyn]

19 hours ago, Adumbration said:

21,000 eh...

 

Were have they hidden them.

 

I was in Phuket on Saturday night and visited a good number of bars.  In all venues the staff outnumbered customers by at least 6 to 1.

 

 

Last Saturday was 30th April??? The thread is about arrivals starting from 1st May. Agree that Phuket in general has been pretty quiet with the exception of the couple of areas that are residential for expats and, as expected, Patong. Bangla road, for example, is pretty full, along with the bars,  most late evenings, but yes, that is only a tiny part of Phuket.

 

Out of the 21,000 arrivals on 1st May, I can confirm that just under 4,500 arrived in Phuket, and from what I am told by my colleagues, many "tourists". Phuket had similar numbers arriving towards the end of December last year, up until they started tinkering with the Test & Go. Obviously best to do away with it completely.

 

i don't believe the tourists are "hidden".  It is just that the numbers arriving are still realatively small when compared to better days and years. Nevertheless, for me it is an improvement in arrival numbers and hopefully it will continues beyond the first few days.

[Rhacsyn]

I have just completed my 6th entry pass into Thailand during Covid times. Please to report that i registered my submission for Thailand pass at 09:05 and received the QR code and pass 27 minutes later. I had to upload 3 documents, albeit my Covid vaccination certificate 3 times.

 

I guess from reading the full thread that it is not this straight forward for all, and yes, it would be great if they did away with it altogether. However, it was not so difficult for me

[Adumbration]

6 hours ago, Rhacsyn said:

Last Saturday was 30th April??? The thread is about arrivals starting from 1st May. Agree that Phuket in general has been pretty quiet with the exception of the couple of areas that are residential for expats and, as expected, Patong. Bangla road, for example, is pretty full, along with the bars,  most late evenings, but yes, that is only a tiny part of Phuket.

 

Out of the 21,000 arrivals on 1st May, I can confirm that just under 4,500 arrived in Phuket, and from what I am told by my colleagues, many "tourists". Phuket had similar numbers arriving towards the end of December last year, up until they started tinkering with the Test & Go. Obviously best to do away with it completely.

 

i don't believe the tourists are "hidden".  It is just that the numbers arriving are still realatively small when compared to better days and years. Nevertheless, for me it is an improvement in arrival numbers and hopefully it will continues beyond the first few days.

I think that the best litmus test for tourist numbers in Phuket (though definitely not for profitability) is buses.  Driving down there and back yesterday I still did not see a single tourist related bus on the road.

[Stargeezr]

120 flights in 24 hours at only 2 airports, and all International flights, besides the domestic flights

into these airports, must have been a very busy day for only these two airports. For the poster who does not think

that this would not be a busy day, well, your math skills are a question to me. Yes I also know that Bangkok

has the old airport for most domestic flights, but Phuket has only one airport for all its flights. I am hoping that

Thailand has a good surge in all traffic, and business improves every day. Bangkok also has some aircraft that

are freighters, and just stop over flights, for people who hare travelling through the country enroute to somewhere else.

Just Saying...

[TropicalGuy]

On 5/2/2022 at 2:11 PM, thailand49 said:

Not taking sides but I did take the time to look at the arrivals majority are local flights should those be counted. As for the International flights are the flight full?  

One thing for sure if in fact they can generate the numbers as claims then can they imagine if we just open go back to Pre-covid? ????

Off topic really. Subject clearly International Flights / Overseas Visitors. Domestic Flights a completely different subject.????

[thailand49]

2 hours ago, TropicalGuy said:

Off topic really. Subject clearly International Flights / Overseas Visitors. Domestic Flights a completely different subject.????

Original topic the individual posted a link it was a discussion or disagreement with another poster out of curiosity I open the link which listed arriving flights as you noted International but within the link majority were domestic I clearly understood the topic is International but I guess you coming at the end missed that????

[StayinThailand2much]

Never mind the first day, as this was just after registration resumed. Would be more interesting to know whether there will still be as many after one or two weeks.