Covid-19 vaccines are being sought for 20,000 frontline personnel in the aviation industry with the country set to reopen to foreign visitors, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) says.
The CAAT said there is an urgent need for people in the aviation sector to be vaccinated against Covid-19 before international travel resumes.
A request specifying the amount of vaccine needed has been submitted to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).
CAAT office director Suthipong Kongpool said the authority estimates about 20,000 people, including pilots, cabin attendants and ground service staff, will need jabs.
The CAAT has scheduled a meeting for Thursday to assess the aviation industry's readiness to return to full operations when the country reopens its borders and dealing with overseas visitors arriving in the kingdom without having gone through quarantine.
Clear steps will be laid out to serve visitors when the tourism industry returns to normal, Mr Suthipong said.
The vaccine being sought is for vaccinating employees of Thai-registered airlines, he said. "It's a confidence-building measure for tourists and those providing the services to them," he said.
The CCSA last week agreed in principle to open certain provinces to foreign visitors who have received Covid-19 vaccinations without the need for quarantine. Phuket will be the first to welcome such visitors beginning in July.
The CAAT believes Chinese visitors will be the first to return to the country as China has managed to effectively combat Covid-19.
In the meantime, the authority says there will be 36,150 domestic and international flights this month, representing a 7% increase from last month.