The Royal Thai Air Force has adjusted its route to speed up the repatriation of Thais from war-torn Israel.
ACM Phanpakdee Pattanakul, the air force commander, said on Saturday that an Airbus A340-500 aircraft is now being used for the retrieval of Thai people who have been seeking to leave southern Israel since the massive surprise assault by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct 7.
The third evacuation flight conducted by the air force takes a revised route passing through six nations instead of the previous 10. The adjustment in the flight path resulted from negotiations by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The change reduces flight time to Israel to about eight and a half hours from 13 hours, a source said.
Future flights will no longer receive passengers at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel. They will instead pick up Thais at Fujairah Airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Additional flights are scheduled for Oct 25, 28 and 30, with the possibility of more if demand exists.
The third retrieval operation aims to bring 140 Thais back to Don Mueang airport on Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry has urged Thais undecided about laving Israel to ensure they are in safe zones.
Those who have changed their minds about returning are requested to notify the Thai embassy promptly so that their seats can be allocated to those in need, the ministry said.
Some 30,000 Thais work in Israel, mainly in agriculture, including about 5,000 in the south of the country, More than 8,000 have now registered to come home.
On Friday, the bodies of the first eight Thai workers who died in the Middle Eastern country were repatriated on a commercial flight. They were subsequently transported to their respective home provinces.