Phuket Will Begin Direct Flights On July 1.

According to information supplied with travel operators by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates, and British Airways will start flying to Phuket once a week on July 1.

Although Phuket airport has not confirmed the news, Swiss travel agency Thailand Reisen Reber has reported that THAI Airways flight TG973 will depart Zurich at 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays and arrive in Phuket 5:55 a.m. on Sundays.

A Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner with 256 seats will run the flight; 22 in Royal Silk Class and 234 in Economy Class.

The airfare costs CHF 790.00 (about B27,426) per person.

The announcement of direct flights from Zurich comes from THAI Airways announcing direct flights to Phuket from Paris, Frankfurt, London, and Copenhagen beginning July 1.

From July 1, THAI Airways will also conduct direct flights to Phuket from Seoul, Singapore, and New Delhi (or Tokyo), as part of the Phuket Direct Flight Plan shared with major tour operators.

Meanwhile, Emirates will offer daily direct flights from Dubai to Phuket, while Israel’s national carrier El Al will conduct a weekly direct flight from Tel Aviv to Phuket.

Qatar Airways will begin operating a weekly flight from Stockholm, Oslo, Paris, Warsaw, and Vienna through Doha to Phuket on July 1.

Additionally, British Airways and Qatar Airways will begin operating three daily flights between London and Doha, and Phuket on July 1.

Singapore Airlines already flies to Phuket several times a week regularly.

The material given with travel operators detailed the conditions under which overseas tourists may enter Phuket without having to undergo quarantine, exactly as TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn described in an official letter issued last Thursday (May 27).

Not mentioned in the TAT’s new disclosures is the requirement for vaccinated international tourists to obtain a Certificate of Entry from a Thai embassy, as revealed by the TAT late last month in conjunction with the introduction of its ‘Entry Thailand’ app ease visitor entry.

Additionally, it is unclear whether vaccinated international tourists traveling in Phuket will be required to purchase $100,000 health insurance.

Arrivals must be wholly vaccinated and present RT-PCR test results received within 72 hours before boarding the flight confirming that the passenger tested negative for COVID-19.

Children under the age of 12 who travel with vaccinated parents do not require vaccination or a PCR test, whereas children aged 13 to 18 who travel with vaccinated parents only require a PCR test.

For now, travelers who have received shots from Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Sinovac, or Covishield will be allowed. The TAT stated that other vaccines would be added to the list.

The TAT stated that the countries from which overseas tourists may enter must be “medium- to low-risk countries.”

International visitors must spend a minimum of seven nights on the island before being allowed to leave. Tourists will be permitted to roam freely around Phuket during that period.

They will be permitted to leave the island on day trips to Phi Phi Island, Koh Yao Island, and other sites in Phang Nga Bay if they test negative.

The TAT added that all international arrivals book accommodations that have been certified by the TAT’s Amazing Thailand Safety & Health Administration (SHA) and that all excursions and tourism business services used by tourists must also be SHA accredited.

All visitors must install the ‘Thailand Plus‘ app on their phones and enable location sharing for their stay.

Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, TAT’s Deputy Governor for Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas, stated that tourism demand during the initial stages of reopening the ‘Phuket Sandbox‘ is presumed to be weak. Due to strict travel restrictions in both Thailand and several tourist origin countries.

Regardless, the TAT informed travel operators that the intention is to reopen Khao Lak and Krabi on August 1, followed by the rest of the country on October 1.

Source: ThePhuketNews.com