Taxis queue at Suvarnabhumi airport last month. SOMCHAI POOMLARD
Monthly seat capacity on routes between the Middle East and Thailand has fallen by 33.7% compared with the period before the Gulf war, prompting the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to diversify its markets to remain resilient.With 14 airlines operating flights to Thailand, total seat capacity stood at 199,595 in May, down 33.7% from 300,902 prior to the conflict.
For instance, Emirates has reduced the number of seats from Dubai to Bangkok by 20%, while maintaining traffic to Phuket at the same level.
Qatar Airways has reduced its capacity on the Doha–Bangkok and Doha–Phuket routes by 50% and 33%, respectively, while Etihad has cut capacity on the Abu Dhabi–Phuket route by 30% and maintained the same level for Bangkok.
Chiravadee Khunsub, deputy governor for Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas at the TAT, said the US–Iran conflict could escalate again in the short term.
