Qatar Airways to return to Phuket

Qatar Airways to return to Phuket

Local tourists walk through the old quarter of Phuket on Sept 14, 2020. (Photo by Dusida Worrachaddejchai)
Local tourists walk through the old quarter of Phuket on Sept 14, 2020. (Photo by Dusida Worrachaddejchai)

Qatar Airways will resume limited flights to Phuket after the coronavirus outbreak halted service to the resort island.

The Middle Eastern airline said it planned to begin a weekly flight between Doha and Phuket on Dec 4 and is seeking permission from Thai authorities to add more flights between the two destinations on Dec 10.

Qatar Airways already operates twice-daily flights between Bangkok and Doha to transport Thai returnees, foreigners with work permits and people authorised to visit Thailand.

They are required to show a fit-to-fly certificate before boarding the plane and to enter quarantine after arriving in the country.

The government has begun allowing tourists from low-risk countries to visit Thailand under the special tourism visa scheme, with Phuket one of the entry points besides Bangkok.

The first batch of arrivals arrived from Shanghai at Suvarnabhumi airport on Oct 21.

Qatar Airways will be the second airline from the Middle East to resume flights to Thailand after Emirates, which services the Dubai-Phuket route.


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