Airbus A380 lands at Thailand’s Don Mueang Airport for the first time ever

An Airbus A380 aircraft landed on the runway at Bangkok’s Don Mueang International rt (DMK) for the first time ever yesterday. The Emirates flight was redirected to Bangkok’s smaller airport due to heavy rainfall disrupting the runway at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

At 9.40pm, flight EK363 from Guangzhou in China descended on DMK after the runway became impassible at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand’s biggest and busiest airport. It is the first time an Airbus A380 has ever landed at DMK.

The plane circled Bangkok’s skies for 50 minutes waiting for weather conditions to improve, but they didn’t. Several flights were unable to land or take off at Suvarnabhumi for several hours last night due to heavy and continuous rainfall.

The aircraft landed safely on DMK’s west runway (21R) at 9.40pm before refuelling and flying over to Suvarnabhumi at 1.08am when the rain had subsided somewhat.

Heavy rainfall and flash flooding are expected to continue today and tomorrow throughout Thailand, according to the Meteorological Department.

Source: Dailynews 

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International airlines return 80% of their airport slots in Thailand for the next five months

A traditional Thai statue wears a face mask as a campaign for travelers to prevent the spread of Covid-19 coronavirus at the departure terminal of Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok on December 18, 2020. / AFP

International airlines have returned as many as 80% of their airport slots at Thailand’s six international airports between October 31st and March 26th next year, indicating their uncertainty over a recovery in the aviation sector, according to Nitinai Sirisamatthakarn, the managing director of Airports of Thailand (AOT) Public Company.

AOT operates Suvarnabhumi, Don Muaeng, Phuket, Hat Yai, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai’s Mae Fah Luang international airports.

He disclosed that the lowest point for the aviation industry in Thailand was from July to September, this year, after the Thai government suspended all regular flights as a precautionary measure to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, during which average daily arrivals at the six international airports was only 50 passengers.

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/international-airlines-return-80-of-their-airport-slots-in-thailand-for-the-next-five-months/

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Airports of Thailand Offers Huge Discounts for Airlines and Business

Airlines and concessionaires that suspended operations will not owe rent or concession charges for 9 months or until operations resumed, AOT said.

Thailand’s State-owned Airports of Thailand Pcl has said it will offer new measures for airlines and businesses to mitigate the Covid-19 impact. Because of the decline in flights and passengers amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Airports of Thailand (AOT) said it would offer a 50% reduction in rents, terminal fees and landing charges from April to December for airlines and businesses.

The announcement comes after AOT warned on Wednesday that it expected passenger traffic to drop by 53% for the fiscal year ending in September.

Airlines and concessionaires that suspended operations will not owe rent or concession charges for 9 months or until operations resumed, AOT said.

Duty-free retailer King Power, which holds the majority of duty-free and commercial concessions at airports, has closed its stores and is selling non-duty-free products online.

AOT operates six airports, including the country’s largest international hub, Suvarnabhumi Airport, and saw nearly 900,000 flights and 141.8 million passengers in the year that ended September 2019, booking profits of 25 billion baht ($773.5 million).

Its airport on the resort island of Phuket is closed.

Thailand has reported 2,839 cases and 50 deaths from the coronavirus.

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

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

More than 2.57 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally, and 178,574 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

Source - Chiang Rai Times