Air travel to resume for worst-hit Thai provinces

Getting to or from Phuket or other distant destinations won’t require an epic road trip starting Wednesday.

Nearly two months after air travel was suspended for provinces with the worst coronavirus outbreaks, aviation officials announced they may take flight again starting Wednesday. 

Airlines including Nok Air, Thai Smile and Thai Vietjet have already announced they will resume affected domestic flights. Bangkok Airways will reopen five routes between Bangkok and Samui, Chiang Mai, Lampang, Sukhothai and Phuket. 

Another airline, Air Asia, said it will resume flights on Friday connecting the capital to at least 11 destinations including Phuket, Chiang Mai, Songkhla, Ubon Ratchathani and Narathiwat. 

According to the Civil Aviation Authority, red-eye flights between 9pm and 4am – the current hours of the overnight curfew – will remain closed. Flights will…