PUBLISHED : 28 Aug 2023 at 04:30
Thai Smile will stop operating flights from Suvarnabhumi airport to Surat Thani airport on Oct 1, in a move that has prompted the provincial governor to ask the airline to reconsider its decision.
Surat Thani governor Witchawut Jinto yesterday said he has submitted a letter to Thai Smile, a Thai Airways affiliate, asking it to keep operating flights between Suvarnabhumi and Surat Thani airports.
He said many people have complained over Thai Smile’s plan to stop operating flights to the local airport on Oct 1, the first day of the high season.
“It’s disheartening that Thai Smile will stop flights between Suvarnabhumi and Surat Thani as it is a very popular route,” he said, adding that many tourists also go on to visit nearby provinces.
He said that during the first six months of this year, the airport served 695,682 passengers, yet last month alone there had been 114,404 passengers via 754 flights.
He said if Thai Smile discontinues the service, there will not be enough flights to serve passengers during the high season.
“We want Thai Smile to reconsider its policy and keep the service to Surat Thani,” he said.
The airline had announced a suspension of the service in 2009, but local businesses and people opposed the decision, prompting the airline to cancel the plan at the time.
Other airlines that fly from Suvarnabhumi airport to Surat Thai include Thai VietJet, while AirAsia, Nok Air and Thai Lion Air fly from Don Mueang airport.