The following is a press release from Qatar Airways. The text and opinions are their own.
Qatar Airways to Reinstate Flights to Phuket, Thailand, While Commemorating Its 10th Year of Operation to the Holiday Island
Qatar Airways currently operates 14-weekly Bangkok-Doha flights, and will resume two-weekly Phuket-Doha flights beginning 4 December 2020 and increasing to 7-weekly from 10 December 2020.*
Thai passengers can enjoy more flexible travel options via the most connected and Best Airport in the Middle East, Hamad International Airport
12 November 2020
PHUKET, Thailand Qatar Airways is pleased to resume flights to Phuket, Thailand, from 4 December 2020. The resumption of services to Thailands largest island is part of the airlines effort to rebuild its network in the Asia-Pacific region. Services to this holiday island will be operated by the modern, Boeing 777-300ER, offering 42 flatbed seats in Business Class, and 312 seats in Economy Class. The airline currently operates 14-weekly flights between Bangkok and Doha.
As one of the only global airlines to have maintained a significant schedule throughout this COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar Airways is uniquely positioned to monitor trends in traffic flow and passenger bookings. The airline has scheduled these flights to connect seamlessly via its award-winning hub, Hamad International Airport, where Thai passengers can enjoy more flexible travel options. The airline also continues to show its commitment to Thailand, as it marks its ten years of operation to Phuket.
Mr. Jared Lee, Vice President of Sales for South East Asia and South Asia Subcontinent, Qatar Airways said: As part of our network rebuilding efforts in the Asia-Pacific region, we are excited to resume operations to Phuket to further provide global connectivity to our Thai passengers. This year also marks our 10th year of operations between Phuket and Doha, and we remain committed to the Thai market as we look forward to rolling out more initiatives for Thailand in the months to come. Qatar Airways has proven itself to be a responsible and trusted airline during this crisis with excellent hygiene measures where onboard COVID19 infection rate is at a negligible 0.012%. Thus, making Qatar Airways a very safe and reliable airline. As global entry restrictions ease, we look forward to reinstating more routes as we aim to operate to over 120 destinations by year-end to better connect Thai passengers to the rest of the world.”
Passengers arriving into Thailand are encouraged to check the latest information via https://www.qatarairways.com/en-th/travel-alerts/travel-to-thailand.html for details before booking, as well as from other reliable sources such as the Royal Thai Embassies or Consulates and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand.
Qatar Airways onboard safety measures for passengers and cabin crew include the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for cabin crew and a complimentary protective kit and disposable face shields for passengers. Business Class passengers on aircraft equipped with Qsuite can enjoy the enhanced privacy this award-winning business seat provides, including sliding privacy partitions and the option to use a Do Not Disturb (DND) indicator. Qsuite is available on flights to more than 30 destinations including Frankfurt, Kuala Lumpur, London and New York. For full details of all the measures that have been implemented onboard and in HIA, please visit qatarairways.com/safety.
Qatar Airways home and hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), has implemented stringent cleaning procedures and applied social distancing measures throughout its terminals. It is the first entity in the world to achieve independent verification from BSI (British Standards Institution) for its implementation of COVID-19 ICAO Aviation Health Safety Protocols. The verification was conducted following successful audits for Compliance to International Civil Aviation Organization Civil Aviation Recovery Taskforce ICAO CART. This important achievement marks the State of Qatar as the first country in the world to be verified by BSI for its COVID-19 Aviation Health Safety Protocol Implementation.
Sparing no effort in safeguarding its passengers, HIA continues to maintain a 1.5m physical distancing across all passenger touchpoints around the airport, through floor markings, signage and distanced seating. All passenger touchpoints are sanitized every 10-15 minutes. All gates and bus gate counters are being cleaned after each flight. HIAs retail and food and beverage outlets encourage contactless and cashless transactions through cards and are considering introducing online or in-app purchases in the future. The airport also conducts regular disinfection of all baggage trolleys and tubs.
HIA was recently ranked ‘Third Best Airport in the World’, among 550 airports worldwide, by the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2020. HIA was also voted the Best Airport in the Middle East for the sixth year in a row and Best Staff Service in the Middle East for the fifth year in a row.
To ensure travellers can plan their travel with peace of mind, the airline has generous booking and refund policies. For more information visit qatarairways.com/RelyOnUs.
Flight Schedule:
Phuket, two-weekly flights from 4 December 2020, increasing to 7-weekly flights from 10 December 2020*
Doha (DOH) to Phuket (HKT) QR978 departs: 02:45 arrives: 13:20
Phuket (HKT) to Doha (DOH) QR841 departs: 02:10 arrives: 05:40
Note: To travel to Thailand one must have certificate of entry from your relevant embassy or consulate and all the requirements this has such as insurance, proper visa, Covid19 tests, fit to fly, meet financial requirements, paperwork, etc.
