Civil Aviation Authority details international flight rules

[reader]

From The Thaiger

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has announced some specific flight rules on the procedure for international travellers flying into Phuket after July 1. This comes just after the Tourism Authority of Thailand laid out more general rules for travel within Thailand for international tourists. Tourism officials from TAT and the island have been steadfastly determined to reopen under its tourism “sandbox” plan, despite the current surge in cases and daily new cases still appearing in Phuket.

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration will be evaluating Phuket’s readiness and reporting to the cabinet for a meeting Friday to approve or deny the July 1 reopening.

The flight rules for passengers arriving into Phuket from abroad will require all arrivals to be fully vaccinated, receiving 2 doses of those vaccines that require it. Notably, an exception is made for AstraZeneca, only requiring a traveller to have received the first of 2 jabs for just that brand.

Another exception for requiring the immunity that vaccination provides is that of natural immunity. People with documentation that they have fully recovered from a Covid-19 infection within the previous 90 days before their arrival will also be allowed to enter. New flight rules will require all passengers to have paperwork confirming that they have been tested for Covid-19 within the last 7 days and have returned a negative result.

Any travellers attempting to board a plane without documents meeting these flight rules – proof of a negative test within a week and either 1 AstraZeneca shot, full inoculation, or full recovery from Covid-19 within the past 3 months – will be denied boarding by the airlines and not allowed to travel.

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/tourism/civil-aviation-authority-details-international-flight-rules

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Qatar to fly to Phuket 4 times weekly

From The Thaiger

Qatar Airways is going all-in on the Phuket sandbox plan to reopen the tourist island to international travellers on July 1. The airline has confirmed that they will run flights 4 times per week between the Qatari capital city of Doha and Phuket. This new route is in addition to the airline’s current 12 flights a week to Bangkok.

The flights will be run using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a large plane capable of carrying a total of 254 passengers to Phuket, 232 in Economy Class and 22 in Business Class. The airline said in a press release yesterday that they believe the Bangkok and Phuket routes will connect the Middle East, Europe and the United States to Thailand.

The flights will leave Doha at 2:55 am on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, arriving in the afternoon at Phuket International Airport at 1:30 pm. Return flights will leave Phuket 13 hours later, at 2:30 am, the early mornings of Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/transport/qatar-airways-will-fly-4-times-weekly-to-phuket-starting-july-1

[spoon]

Very sensible rules, especially considering astrazeneca 1 dose, and natural immunity from recovered patient. Hopefully they will do away with the covid insurance as well and of course the lenghty procedures that STV required.

[floridarob]

I don't understand the exception:

 will require all arrivals to be fully vaccinated, receiving 2 doses of those vaccines that require it. Notably, an exception is made for AstraZeneca, only requiring a traveller to have received the first of 2 jabs for just that brand.

[spoon]

In a study one dose of AZ gives close to 76% efficacy. That and majority of those taking this vaccine will only get their second dose 12 weeks or longer.