BANGKOK – The aviation industry is among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a drop in the number of both flights and passengers at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport of about half, year-on-year. This is largely due to travel restrictions and border closures in Europe that forced people to bring forward their flights home.
Suvarnabhumi Airport’s Deputy Director Kittipong Kittikachorn has disclosed the latest international passenger numbers [for 23rd March 2020] passing through the airport to be 17,341 travelers, most of whom were departing passengers at 15,213, with only 2,128 arriving passengers, 1,138 of whom were Thai nationals.
The number of domestic passengers totaled 13,347, which is 82.4 percent lower than 23rd March last year. The number of international and domestic passengers combined was 30,688 yesterday.
There were 428 flights to and from the airport, 223 of which were international flights, and 205 domestic flights, reflecting a 60 percent decrease year-on-year.
The data shows a large proportion of departing international passengers numbering 15,213, were rushing to return home as travel restrictions and border closures are coming into effect in many countries, especially in Europe.
Health control officials at the airport screened 2,128 arriving passengers, with none found to be symptomatic of COVID-19 infection. Samples were collected from 13 Thai passengers with a history of disease exposure, all of whom had returned from a religious gathering in Indonesia.(NNT)
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