Phuket Airport to reopen Saturday morning with limited flights and extra paperwork

International Airport to re-open from the morning of Saturday, May 16, less than two days away. Two days ago officials from the local provincial hall participated in an inspection of all the changes and preparations made to cater for passenger travel in the Covid era.

The Phuket International Airport is one of the last major airports to re-open to passenger traffic and commercial flights. The CAAT ordered the airport closed on April 3 to restrict air travel as health authorities nationwide battled to contain the spread of the virus at the time.

The order says that people arriving in Phuket from other provinces will be required to fill in an a form describing their travel history, particularly recently and information about where they are staying whilst on the island. At this stage the opening of the airport is only to limited domestic flights.

“All people leaving the island must register their health condition on the AOT Airports app.”

A ban remains in force for international flights at least until May 31 and a possibility that it could be extended another 15 days.

For land departures there has been a requirement for Phuket people, arriving in some provinces, to adhere to a 14 day quarantine. This order from the CAAT does not mention that requirement. We will post more information when it becomes available.

Currently land departures are required to have a fit-to-travel document saying that they have been in self-quarantine for 14 days before their date of travel. That has not been specified for air travel at this stage.

3 airlines have already notified the PIA of their plans to resume limited domestic passenger services in and out of Phuket, at one flight a day, according to the governor. Other domestic airports have been opened up around the country for limited services.

Provincial authorities also agreed yesterday to ask the Interior Ministry to allow reopening of all sea and road links from Saturday. No approval has been given at this stage.

The first flight we could see that was available for booking was a 9.30am flight on Monday morning with Air Asia from Phuket (HKT) to Don Mueang in Bangkok (DMK) for the princely sum of 4,686 baht.

Aircraft are also requiring specific seating to avoid people sitting next to each other and an insistence that passengers must wear masks. There is also no food and beverage services allowed on domestic services at this stage and travelers are urged to arrive at the airport 3 hours before their flight for additional check in procedures.

Source - The Thaiger

Frightened Asian tourists cancel flights, stay home

The South Korean government’s advisory to its citizens to delay trips to countries and territories where the Covid-19 coronavirus has been found has resulted in numerous flight cancellations to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan.

South Korea has remained relatively free of the contagion, although one of its citizens was found to be infected after returning from Thailand.

Its news media have also reported that the virus is rampant in North Korea, which shares a porous border with China.

Thai Airways this week reported a 30-per-cent plunge in its bookings for round-trip flights between Bangkok and Seoul and said it was dropping four weekly flights as a result from February 26-March 28.

Twenty-one THAI flights a week will remain on the schedule, however.

The national carrier said it might also cancel some flights to Japan because people there are similarly showing reluctance to travel to Thailand.

Seoul-based carriers Eastar Jet, Jeju Air, Asiana Airlines and Korean Air have also reduced the number of flights to Thailand.

Wing Commander Suthirawat Suwanawat, Airports of Thailand’s general manager at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, said Thailand’s premier air hub is seeing far fewer foreign tourists because of the virus outbreak.

“We’re getting 140,000 people a day this month – 60,000 fewer than last year, which represents a 30-per-cent decrease,” he said.

“The reason is that people in China, South Korea and Japan have begun postponing plans to travel elsewhere in Asia, especially in Japan now, where a death from the virus has caused alarm.”

If the crisis persists into April, he said, the airport reckons passenger volume will grow by a mere 3 per cent, far less than the annual averages until now.

“Airports of Thailand says that, because of the virus, airlines cancelled 2,762 flights through Suvarnabhumi Airport from January 24 to February 13, which averages out to 132 flights a day,” Suthirawat said.

Source - TheNation

Thomas Cook collapses as last-ditch rescue talks fail

Thomas Cook has collapsed after last-minute negotiations aimed at saving the 178-year-old holiday firm failed.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the tour operator has "ceased trading with immediate effect".

It has also triggered the biggest ever peacetime repatriation aimed at bringing more than 150,000 British holidaymakers home.

Peter Fankhauser, Thomas Cook's chief executive, said the firm's collapse was a "matter of profound regret".

Commenting as the company entered compulsory liquidation, Mr Fankhauser also apologised to the firm's "millions of customers, and thousands of employees".

The tour operator's failure puts 22,000 jobs at risk worldwide, including 9,000 in the UK.

 Thomas Cook: Much-loved brand with humble roots 

'Planes already being impounded' 

Thomas Cook customers 'will not be stranded'

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the company's collapse was "very sad news for staff and holidaymakers". 

He urged holidaymakers to be "understanding with staff" amid the "enormous" task of bringing people home. 

Mr Shapps has announced that the government and CAA has hired dozens of charter planes to fly customers home free of charge. 

The emergency operation, codenamed Operation Matterhorn, is aiming to bring home Britons currently on holiday with the firm.

On Sunday, empty aircraft had already started to be flown overseas, ready to bring British tourists home on Monday.

One of the world's best known holiday brands, the business was founded in 1841 in Leicestershire by cabinet-maker Thomas Cook.

How will holidaymakers get home?

All customers currently abroad with Thomas Cook who are booked to return to the UK over the next two weeks will be brought home "as close as possible" to their booked return date, the Department for Transport (DfT) has said.

Customers will be brought home to the UK on special free flights or booked onto another scheduled airline at no extra cost.

Flights will start operating from Monday, with details of each flight to be posted on a dedicated website as soon as they are available. 

The DfT added that a "small number" of passengers may need to book their own flight home and reclaim the costs.

Customers have been urged not to cut short their holiday or go to the airport without checking the website for more information about their return journey. 

The CAA is also contacting hotels accommodating Thomas Cook customers, who have booked as part of a package, to tell them that the cost of their accommodation will be covered by the government, through the Air Travel Trust Fund and Air Travel Organiser's Licence scheme (Atol).

The CAA said in a statement: "All Thomas Cook bookings, including flights and holidays, have now been cancelled.

"We know that a company with such long-standing history ceasing trading will be very distressing for its customers and employees and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this news."

Tim Johnson, policy director of the CAA, told BBC News it has chartered "more than 40" aircraft, which are already in position, to bring passengers home.

He urged customers in the UK who were due to travel not to go to the airport "because very sadly your flight has been cancelled".

Mr Johnson added: "For those who have not yet started their holiday, we will be publishing details of how they can claim a refund on the website, no later than next Monday."

Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom has said she will write to the Insolvency Service urging them to "fast-track" their investigation into the circumstances surrounding Thomas Cook going into liquidation.

The DfT said the investigation will also consider the conduct of the directors.

Travel expert Simon Calder told BBC News that planes at Manchester airport have already begun to be impounded following news of the collapse.

"Shortly after midnight, we saw the airport putting a notice of detention on some Thomas Cook aircraft because of unpaid airport bills," he said.

What went wrong?

Thomas Cook had secured a £900m rescue deal led by its largest shareholder Chinese firm Fosun in August, but a recent demand from its lending banks to raise a further £200m in contingency funding had put the deal in doubt.

Fosun said in a statement it was "disappointed" following news of the collapse.

It added: "Fosun confirms that its position remained unchanged throughout the process, but unfortunately other factors have changed.

"We extend our deepest sympathy to all those affected by this outcome." 

The holiday company had spent all Sunday in talks with lenders trying to secure the additional funding and salvage the deal, but to no avail.

 

It had also asked the government for financial aid, a solution also urged by Labour and union groups.

But on Sunday Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told the BBC the government did not "systematically step in" when businesses went under unless there was "a good strategic national interest".

Customers on a package holiday have Atol protection - a fund paid for through industry levies - which will cover the cost of their holiday and repatriation.

Thomas Cook has blamed a series of issues for its problems including political unrest in holiday destinations such as Turkey, last summer's prolonged heatwave and customers delaying booking holidays because of Brexit.

But the firm has also faced fierce competition from online travel agents and low-cost airlines.

In addition, many holidaymakers are putting together their own holidays and not using travel agents.

What are your rights?

 If you are on a package holiday you are covered by the Atol scheme.

The scheme will pay for your accommodation abroad, although you may have to move to a different hotel or apartment.

Atol will also pay to have you brought home if the airline is no longer operating.

If you have holiday booked in the future you will also be refunded by the scheme.

If you have booked a flight-only deal you will need to apply to your travel insurance company or credit card and debit card provider to seek a refund.

When Monarch Airlines collapsed in 2017, the government organised to bring home all the stranded passengers, whether they were covered by Atol or not.

Here is more information on Atol protection and Your questions answered

---

Are you a Thomas Cook customer or member of staff? If you've been affected by the issues raised here, you can get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

• WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803
• Send pictures/video to yourpics@bbc.co.uk
• Upload your pictures / video here
• Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay
• Text an SMS or MMS to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (international)
•  
• Source - BBC News

#Cambodia - Ministry proposes aviation association

Phnom Phen International Airport 

The Ministry of Tourism on Wednesday proposed the creation of an aviation association in a meeting with the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation and five airlines.

Tourism Minister Thong Khon said having an association for the industry will facilitate dialogue among all actors and help them find solutions to the challenges the industry faces.

“The association will play a significant role in finding solutions and will help the industry develop smoothly,” the minister said during the meeting, which included representatives of the national flag carrier, Cambodia Angkor Air.

Flight delays and cancellations, problems that beset the local aviation industry, were also discussed in the meeting.

Ministry spokesperson Top Sopheak told Khmer Times yesterday that the ministry’s proposal has had a positive reception among players in the industry.

“SSCA will look into the possibility of forming the association,” he said.

SSCA’s spokesperson Sin Chan Sereyvutha could not be reached for comment yesterday.

According to SSCA, the Kingdom’s three international airports handled 29,705 flights in the first six months of the year.

Source - Khmer Times

#Emirates negotiates to buy $16b of A380s

.

Emirates is negotiating a deal to purchase about 36 additional Airbus SE A380 super-jumbos, according to people familiar with the talks, a move that would help extend the embattled program’s life.

Executives are working to seal an accord with the goal of making a formal announcement on Nov. 12 when the biennial Dubai Air Show kicks off, said the people, asking not to be named as the discussions are confidential. An order for that number would be valued at $15.7 billion at current list prices, though the tally could change as talks enter the final stage.

Airbus has been working to secure a follow-on order for the four-engine model from Emirates, which would add another 4 1/2years to its backlog, after the plane-maker was forced to cut production of the aircraft to just eight a month next year from 25 in 2016 amid slack demand. 

Outgoing sales chief John Leahy, who is looking to Emirates for a last triumph before handing over the reins to a successor early next year, is renowned for getting orders signed in the final moments ahead of an air show.

.

 An agreement with Emirates would allow Airbus to continue marketing the plane, pursuing a series of smaller deals that wouldn’t otherwise have been viable without the new commitment from its biggest customer for the double-decker model. Representatives for Toulouse, France-based Airbus and Emirates, which is based in Dubai, declined to comment.

The planemaker in June unveiled an upgrade to the A380, dubbed the “plus” that adds wingtips and a more condensed cabin layout to improve the fuel efficiency of the aircraft. Airbus Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders restated the company’s commitment to the plane in Hamburg this month when Emirates took its 100th jet of a total 142 on order. 

 FOR THE BEST GLOBAL HOTEL & FLIGHT BOOKINGS

Emirates already represents the only major customer for the double-decker, which has 317 net orders in total. Most other customers, such as British Airways to Lufthansa to Air France, have made the plane only a sub-category of their fleets or even cut back their original commitments.

Reuters earlier reported that talks were centering around a deal for between 36 and 38 planes, citing a person familiar.

 .

Source - TheJakartaPost 

.