The impact of COVID-19 on the tourism sector in Thailand is apparent. The number of passengers using Suvarnabhumi Airport has declined sharply, as many countries have closed their borders and airlines have suspended flights.
Airports of Thailand (AOT) and Suvarnabhumi Airport announced that 726 flights arrived at and departed from Suvarnabhumi Airport on March 15, down 33 percent year-on-year. The airport welcomed 79,899 passengers, down 60.2 percent year-on-year. There were only four flights from South Korea, two Thai Airways International and two from Korean Air.
The four flights carried 492 passengers in total, 190 of whom were Thai nationals. One Thai passenger has been placed in quarantine as a precaution. Three passengers did not carry a medical certificate with them, and they are now being observed by disease control officials. Two airport staff are also quarantined.
Suvarnabhumi Airport again saw a handful of both Thai and foreign passengers, with international flights to at-risk countries having been suspended. The number of international flights arriving in Thailand has decreased.
The Digital Economy and Society Minister, Buddhipongse Punnakanta, said two mobile applications, namely “AOT Airports” and “SydeKick for ThaiFightCOVID”, can now be used to track quarantined passengers and people who are under home quarantine.
Those arriving from at-risk countries have to register and provide their personal information. The Department of Disease Control will use the information to locate them. Both apps show real time data.
The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has delivered the apps to the Department of Disease Control and the AOT. They have been developed to restore public confidence.
