Thailand has banned all international passenger aircraft from landing in the country until 30 April, extending two earlier bans that began on 4 April and were expected to end on 18 April.
Exceptions to the ban will only apply to state or military aircraft, emergency landings, aircraft making technical stops, cargo and repatriation, as well as those operating humanitarian, medical and relief flights, says Airports of Thailand.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand says in a separate statement dated 15 April that the ban was implemented to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and that any approvals granted to passenger aircraft to fly into Thailand “shall be cancelled” during the period the ban is imposed.
Meanwhile, Bangkok Airways has also shut the three airports that it operates until 30 April.
The carrier says Trat airport was closed on 5 April, while the Koh Samui and Sukhothai airports were closed on 7 April.
Cirium schedules data show that both the Trat and Sukhothai airports only handle flights to Bangkok operated by Bangkok Airways.
As for Koh Samui, the data show that the island was connected to five domestic points and three international destinations in March. Bangkok Airways and SilkAir were the two operators to Koh Samui.
The carrier’s 2019 management discussion and analysis indicated that the airport business posted a revenue of Bt547 million ($16.7 million), accounting for 1.9% of the company’s total revenue for the year.
