AOT says more than 49,000 passengers hit by Middle East airspace closures

Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT) said it has been closely monitoring heightened tensions in the Middle East, which have prompted a series of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) closing airspace in several countries and forcing airlines to adjust flight plans.

AOT said checks on operational status at the airports under its responsibility found that between February 28 and March 4, a total of 328 flights were affected, comprising 327 cancellations and one delayed flight.

The situation also prevented 49,688 passengers from travelling as scheduled, with the breakdown as follows:

• Suvarnabhumi Airport recorded the highest impact, with 33,029 passengers affected.
• Phuket Airport recorded a cumulative total of 16,062 affected passengers.
• Chiang Mai Airport recorded a cumulative total of 312 affected passengers.
• Don Mueang Airport recorded a cumulative total of 285 affected passengers.

Paweena Jariyathitipong, AOT’s President, previously said most of the affected services were routes linking Thailand and the Middle East, as well as transit flights. Key airlines included EL AL Israel Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Gulf Air and Thai AirAsia X.

Among them, some passengers whose flights used the Middle East as a transit route to their final destinations were rebooked onto alternative services that were not affected, she said.

AOT stressed that all six airports remain open and operating as normal, and that stand allocation has not affected main scheduled services. It said proactive measures have been introduced to support affected passengers, including the establishment of Suvarnabhumi Airport’s Operations Command Centre (OCC) to integrate operations with relevant agencies.

AOT has also deployed public relations staff and Airport Ambassadors on site, prepared additional drinking water and waiting areas, and coordinated with the Immigration Bureau to speed up immigration checks and reduce crowding. Security measures have been increased around the clock, and flight conditions are being monitored in real time.

AOT advised passengers travelling on Middle East routes, or related itineraries, to check flight status directly with their airline before leaving for the airport and to closely follow updates via airlines’ public relations channels and the Facebook page “AOT official”. 

More information is available via the AOT Contact Centre on 1722, 24 hours a day. AOT said it remains ready to coordinate and provide appropriate assistance to ensure smooth and safe journeys through its airports.

THAI reroutes some Europe flights

Separately, Chai Eamsiri, chief executive officer of Thai Airways International (THAI), said that Israel, Iran and several areas in the Middle East had announced airspace closures, but THAI had not been affected because it does not currently operate routes that fly through those two countries’ airspace.

As for the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which involves airspace used for flights to Europe, THAI has adjusted its routing to avoid the area for passenger safety. The change has added around 20 minutes per flight to several European destinations, but has not significantly increased overall fuel costs.