Thailand News - Corona - By Ola J. - Palmtree

Bangkok –

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O'Cha decided to delay the proposed 300-baht 'land-entry' fee for international arrivals and an expected 20 million tourists to visit Thailand in the fourth quarter of 2022.

The Prime Minister gave an interview after the general Cabinet meeting this afternoon, May 3rd, that the government had inspected the increase of the export value of incoming foreign tourists which was a good sign.

Moreover, more flights were arranged and tens of thousands of tourists were coming in every day since May 1st. It is expected that domestic consumption, mainly from tourism, would improve as well, said the Prime Minister.

When asked if he was satisfied with the number, the Prime Minister said that he was and explained that if an assessment indicated that the Covid-19 situation was not worsening, then Thailand was likely to welcome about half as many tourists this year than before Covid-19, or 20 million out of 40 million.

Prayut also reaffirmed that no foreign tourist fees or land-entry fees were to be collected, for now. "The Cabinet would look at the suitability before considering the collection because the money must be used to do other things as well. We'd talk about when to collect again, but it was a no for now," he said.

DALLAS – Today in Aviation, in 1988, Thailand's then Prime Minister, General Prem Tinsulanonda, announced a cabin resolution to merge the country's two national carriers to form Thai Airways International (TG).

Previously, Thailand was served by one domestic and one international airline. As a result of the merger, TG was valued at 2,230 million Thai Baht.

Domestic Developments

The domestic arm, Thai Airways Company (TH), can trace its history back to November 1, 1951, when Siamese Airways and Pacific Overseas Airlines merged. TH was based in Bangkok and operated a wide and varied fleet, from the Hawker Siddeley HS748 to the Airbus A310.

In 1959, TH joined forces with SAS Scandinavian Airline System (SK) to establish an international carrier. SK provided two million Thai baht to purchase 30% of the shares, plus operational, managerial, and marketing expertise. It also helped to train the airline's new pilots and flight attendants.

International Expansion

Flights commenced on May 1, 1960, from Bangkok to Hong Kong, Taipei, and Tokyo using a fleet of three Douglas DC-6Bs leased from SAS. The airline soon added eleven additional international destinations across Asia. Eighty-three thousand passengers were carried in the first year.

The airline quickly became renowned for its exquisite 'Royal Orchid Service' Intercontinental services using Douglas DC-8 jets commenced in 1971 to Australia, followed by Europe in 1972. Flights to North America began in 1980 using a fleet of six wide-bodied Douglas DC-10s.

On April 1, 1977, the Thai government purchased SAS's remaining shares, with the airline becoming a fully-owned state enterprise of the country's government.

Featured image: Thai Airways International Boeing 747-400 pictured in a retro livery. The airline retired its Boeing 747 fleet in 2021. Photo: Denis Fedorko, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons