Cabinet nod for Thai-India Air Travel Bubble, flights to start this month

THE Cabinet today (Mar. 1) approved the Air Travel Bubble Agreement between Thailand and India to again resume commercial flights between the two countries after suspension since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Amarin TV said.

Airlines are expected to start flying between the two countries this month.

Ms. Ratchada Thanadirek, deputy spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office, said after the coronavirus pandemic swept the world India halted international flights between the two countries on March 23, 2020.

However the Indian Foreign Ministry had now approached Thailand to ink the Air Travel Bubble agreement and after coordination it was concluded that this agreement is both important and meaningful.

Under this agreement airlines may carry Thai, Indian, Nepalese and Bhutanese passengers as well as those from other countries who have a valid visa to enter the two countries.

Before issuing a ticket and boarding pass airlines have to verify that the passenger is eligible to enter the country.

A transport bubble is temporary arrangement between two countries to resume commercial flights, especially when international travel in either country is otherwise suspended due to the pandemic. 

Meanwhile the Public Health Ministry said this morning that there were 20,420 Covid cases and 43 deaths over the last 24 hours with this taking the cumulative confirmed total since Jan. 1 to 688,912 and since the start of the pandemic 2,912,347.

Today’s 43 fatalities raised the death toll to 22,976.

Another 18,297 patients were cured taking total recoveries since Jan. 1 to 505,152 with 215,725 still undergoing treatment.

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