The Transport Ministry has ordered the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) to address the issue of expensive airfares during long weekends and holiday periods to prepare for the Songkran festival in April.
Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said on Tuesday that he also instructed the CAAT to develop long-term price control measures to maintain airfares at a suitable ceiling while prioritising benefits for passengers.
In response, the CAAT announced it would work to handle the influx of visitors during Songkran when air traffic into and out of the country is expected to surge.
People should buy tickets in advance to avoid paying higher prices closer to the festival, it added.
Mr Suriya issued a similar air ticket price control order prior to the New Year holidays. He said more seats were being made available on flights during the peak travel period in the hope of bringing down fares.
The order would reduce prices and boost tourism growth, Mr Suriya added.
According to the ministry, at least 70,000 additional seats were offered for sale from Dec 26 to Jan 5, which lowered ticket prices.
Customers paid roughly 2,415 baht on average for a flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, lower than the average price of 2,729 baht for a one-way ticket on the same route the previous year, the ministry said.
Similarly, flights from Bangkok to Phuket were down to 2,787 baht on average, compared to 2,895 baht one year earlier, said Mr Suriya.
The ministry reported a 6.5% increase in domestic flights during the New Year holidays, contributing to a more than 10% increase in the number of passengers on domestic flights.
Mr Suriya said the country's tourism industry is visibly in a recovery phase, with domestic air travel higher than last year.
The growth in domestic travellers is also due to tourism promotion measures, he added.
