10 Chinese airlines cancel flights to Thailand in December and January 2024 due to low tourist demand.
According to Suttipong Kongpool, Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), the 10 airlines that canceled flights are Air China, China Eastern, Shanghai Airlines, Spring Airlines, China Southern, Shenzhen Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, Ok Airways, Hainan Airlines and Beijing Capital.
Nearly 11,000 flights were initially scheduled for December, but only nearly 6,000 were confirmed, down 46% from expectations. January 2024 was also expected to have more than 10,980 flights, but ended up with just over 7,400 flights, down 32%.
Thailand welcomed and presented gifts to the first Chinese tourists to Thailand under the five-month visa exemption program on September 25. Photo: Reuters
Piyasawat Amranand, executive director of business recovery planning at Thai Airways International, blamed the cancellations on China's economic slowdown and its policy of promoting domestic tourism. He also said initiatives such as temporary visa exemptions for Chinese visitors during the year-end peak season "have not resulted in a large number of tourists."
Korakot Chatasingha, commercial director of national carrier Thai Airways, also commented that "the visa exemption initiative does not significantly boost the Chinese market".
Currently, the number of Chinese visitors to Thailand has reached nearly 40% compared to 2019, forcing Thai Airways to transfer some of the planes prepared for the Chinese market to other potential markets.
Korakot added that airlines have not yet seen a surge in ticket sales for the upcoming Lunar New Year and need to observe further after December.
However, CAAT representatives said the cancellations were “not unusual” as airlines routinely do so to ensure business profitability. In addition, Thailand’s main tourism markets have yet to recover, including China. The flight slots returned by the 10 Chinese airlines will be transferred to airlines from Western Europe and Scandinavia.
Anh Minh (According to Nation Thailand, Bangkok Post )
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