Thailand News - Corona - By Ola J. - Palmtree

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has issued a notice to airlines, asking them to screen passengers travelling to Thailand in line with the latest relaxation of entry rules effective on Wednesday.

CAAT director-general Suttipong Kongpool said the agency has sent a notice to airmen (NOTAM) to all international airlines flying to this country.

They have been asked to screen and categorise passengers into three groups.

Group one applies to fully vaccinated travellers. But if they are suspected of having Covid-19 symptoms, they are advised to self-test with antigen test kits.

The second group applies to those not vaccinated or who have received only one vaccine shot. They must undergo antigen testing provided by medical professionals or RT-PCR testing 72 hours before travel.

The third group are foreign visitors who do not have a Thailand Pass QR code. They will be handled by airport authorities upon arrival.

Mr Suttipong said the registration procedure has been made more convenient and quicker to obtain.

He said the Thailand Pass requirement will be waived for Thai nationals who return from abroad by air from today, though they must present proof of vaccination or negative test results.

International travellers are still required to register via Thailand Pass before travel and they will be issued a QR code without any need to wait for approval. However, they need to obtain insurance coverage of US$10,000 (342,400 baht), he said.

They may be denied boarding by airlines if they fail to produce the QR code, Mr Suttipong said, adding that airlines must make sure passengers from overseas have the QR code.

Passengers who are fully vaccinated can enter the country without the need to present test results, he said.