BANGKOK: Japan’s banning of increased chartered flights from Thailand has not only affected Thai tourists but also Japanese tourists planning to visit the country during the Songkran festival.
Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) secretary general Charoen Wangananond said the ban has already affected Thai tourists booking package tours to Japan because they won’t be able to fly on schedules.
The ban also will affect Japanese tourists visiting Thailand.
He expected some 2,000 Japanese tourists will miss their schedules to visit during the Songkran festival as they are tour groups that will travel on chartered flights of Asia Atlantic Airline and Jet Asia Airway.He said normally the two airlines will fly two round trips or flying Thai tourists to Japan and returning with Japanese tourists to Thailand.
But he said the two airlines have suspended flights from Thailand, fearing that if the return trip falls on April 1, it can not fly out, and that will create chaos among passengers.
He also said stranded Japanese tourists will also include those traveling on THAI’s chartered flights on the Bangkok- Komatsu and Hiroshima banned by Japan’s civil aviation authorities. Each flight has 200-300 seats.
He also commented on THAI’s announcement that it could solve stranded passengers on its Nok Scoot flights through seeking cooperation from its ally to arrange for flights to Japan for tourists in Thailand during March 29-31 following Japan’s ban of chartered flights from Thailand.
